Methodology

We only use public data. The ranking is driven primarily by headcount growth, adjusted for company size and funding stage so that a 20-person startup doubling year-over-year doesn't get drowned out by a much larger company adding the same absolute number of hires.

We also watch the number of open roles and search interest per company. Both tend to move ahead of headcount, so they help us catch acceleration before it shows up in the official numbers.