The consulting industry's one listed behemoth, Accenture split off from its accounting sibling in 2000 and went public a year later. Julie Sweet has been its boss since 2019. The firm reported quarterly revenue of $17.7bn and operating profit of $3bn in mid-2025.
Between the start of 2015 and the end of 2024 Accenture generated a total shareholder return of around 370%, handily outdoing the S&P 500 index. As America's stockmarket climbed to an all-time high in February 2025, the firm was worth $250bn, more than Goldman Sachs or Morgan Stanley.
Accenture's success was built on partnerships with technology providers, helping clients select, implement and maintain their often finicky products. Avanade, a 25-year-old joint venture with Microsoft, is one such partnership. But generative AI threatens this model: AI is increasingly being integrated into tech products so that they work straight out of the box, and AI agents can automatically update and upgrade IT systems. Palantir, for instance, embeds its own engineers with customers. This lets clients save money on consultants.
Rather than investing in deep technology, Accenture has opted for innumerable "tuck-in" takeovers of small consultancies, including roughly 50 advertising and marketing agencies.
A poet who reads his verse in public may have other nasty habits.