Top story: PwC laying off 1,800 employees in first formal layoff since 2009

There is no shortage on bad news regarding Big Four consulting firms these days.

PwC is shaking things up with its first big round of layoffs in the U.S. since 2009, letting go of about 1,800 employees, or 2.5% of its workforce. The cuts mainly hit its advisory, business services, audit, and tax teams, with roughly half happening offshore. This move comes as demand for some of its services slows down, pushing the firm to rethink its game plan.

New U.S. leader Paul Griggs, who took the helm in May 2024, is behind this major restructuring. He’s splitting PwC’s U.S. operations back into three business lines—audit, tax, and consulting—and embedding tech teams more closely within them to streamline and set the stage for future growth. The idea? Get lean, focus on the right skills, and be ready for what’s next.

PwC had been the odd one out among the Big Four accounting giants, managing to avoid layoffs while rivals like EY, KPMG, and Deloitte slashed thousands of jobs over the past couple of years. But with high interest rates and a cooling economy squeezing demand, PwC’s finally making some tough calls to stay competitive.

The shake-up also comes with some leadership changes. Joe Atkinson, who was running the show on PwC’s tech and products front, just stepped up as Global Chief AI Officer. The firm is doubling down on AI and in-house tech solutions to stay ahead of the curve and keep clients happy. As PwC trims and realigns, it's all about making smart moves to stay relevant in a shifting landscape.

Read more here.

Gossip roundup

• Former Deloitte consultant is happy they were fired due to mental health toll

• Deloitte’s revenue growth is the weakest it has been in 14 years

• This former consultant chose to leave their $400k consulting gig for a $150k corporate gig…

• KPMG and Accenture are officially top consulting firms (at least according to this job posting)

Ho ho ho…

• [NEW] Instacart Senior Associate of Corporate Strategy, Remote, 4+ years of consulting experience, ~$101-135k

• Netflix Deal Analysis Associate, LA, ~2+ years of consulting experience, Comp not shared

• AWS Corporate Strategy (Industrial), Major US Cities, ~5+ years of consulting experience, ~$133-220k

• Zillow Business Operations Principal, Remote, ~10+ years of consulting experience, ~$148-236k

• Whatnot Strategy & Operations Manager, NYC / SF / LA, Marketplaces, ~7+ years of consulting experience, ~$160-210k

• Faire Strategy and Analytics Lead, Remote, Retail, ~5+ years of consulting experience, ~$151-207k

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