Accenture tell staff to learn AI or exit the company

Accenture is forcing a hard reset on its workforce. If you can’t work with AI, you’re out. That’s the new rule. The company is done waiting for people to catch up. Either you learn fast or you lose your job.

This move is part of a huge restructuring. The company says AI is now baked into everything it does. CEO Julie Sweet made it clear: “We are investing in upskilling our reinventors, which is our primary strategy.” 

For those who can’t be retrained? She said the company is “exiting on a compression timeline” for anyone for whom reskilling is not “a viable path.” In short: adapt or disappear.

Accenture plans to hire AI experts

So far, Accenture says it’s already retrained 550,000 employees on the basics of generative AI. That’s part of a massive six-month $865 million business optimization program, which includes layoffs and severance packages.

The company expects to save over $1 billion, according to CFO Angie Park, and plans to reinvest the savings into the business and the remaining staff. It also wants to maintain profit margins while doing it.

Even as cuts continue, Accenture isn’t freezing hiring. The company is actively expanding its AI and data team, which hit 77,000 workers in 2025, up from 40,000 in 2023. New hires are expected in the U.S., Europe, and other major markets.

Sweet confirmed, “Our No. 1 strategy is upskilling, given the skills we need.” If workers don’t have those skills and can’t get them quickly, they’re gone.

The restructuring comes at a time when Accenture’s revenue reached $69.7 billion, a 7% increase from the year before. That growth, Sweet said, comes directly from companies scrambling to roll out AI tools. She said, “Our early investment in AI is really paying off.”

Sweet added, “We feel very good as we go into FY26 with the momentum we’re seeing in our business which is driven by Accenture being the company that you really partner to make sure you can use advanced AI.” Basically, they want to be the first name CEOs think of when it comes to automating work and going full AI.

“Every CEO, board and the C-suite recognize that advanced AI is critical to the future. The challenge right now they’re facing is that they’re really excited about the technology and they’re not yet AI ready for most companies,” said Sweet.

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