Big Four Exodus: Why Top Consultants Are Fleeing to Startups

Big Four Exodus: Why Top Consultants Are Fleeing to Startups

Summary

A wave of senior consultants is abandoning the prestige of Big Four firms for smaller consultancies and AI-powered startups. They’re chasing faster growth, more influence, and a stake in the future of consulting innovation—something the bureaucratic giants are struggling to provide.

Key Takeaways

For generations, climbing the ranks to partner at EY, Deloitte, PwC, or KPMG was the ultimate consulting dream. But today, that dream is unraveling. Industry experts are calling it an “exodus of talent” from Big Four firms as senior leaders seek a more agile, profitable future.

A recent Business Insider report revealed that firms like Alvarez & Marsal, Teneo, FTI Consulting, and West Monroe are attracting top talent that once seemed unattainable. For example, West Monroe reported a 25% year-over-year surge in proactive inbound interest from Big Four professionals, proving the hunger for fresh opportunities.

At the center of this shift is artificial intelligence (AI). Legacy firms are bogged down by bureaucracy, while smaller players and AI-driven startups can pivot instantaneously. Gert De Geyter, formerly Deloitte’s AI lead, left in July 2025 to join Teragonia, a consulting startup leveraging AI innovation to disrupt traditional models. He cited agility and direct ownership of outcomes as key reasons behind the move.

Meanwhile, compensation models and equity opportunities are luring high performers. The employee ownership model, paired with private equity backing, offers top operators real "skin in the game." As Accenture veteran Sri Sripada put it, joining West Monroe gave him both financial upside and influence he could never achieve inside a sprawling corporate hierarchy.

The market slowdown after COVID has only intensified the migration. Big Four firms over-hired during the pandemic, creating oversupply at senior levels with fewer promotions and stalled pay growth. According to consulting strategist James Ransome, this saturation left many leaders feeling undervalued, prompting them to look toward smaller firms where the path to partner takes six to eight years instead of two decades.

Some leaders, like EY’s former partner Nargis Yunis, discovered that even achieving partnership didn’t equate to real influence. Yunis, who left in 2021 for Forvis Mazars, quickly ascended to head of asset management—a role that could have taken her a decade longer at EY. Her words sum it up: "I’ve been able to build something I never could within the Big Four."

The implications are profound. If the Big Four cannot adapt—by embracing AI, agility, and modern talent strategies—they risk bleeding more of their best leaders to the nimble challengers defining the next era of consulting.

The Big Four have long rested on prestige, scale, and legacy clients. But today’s best consulting minds are no longer waiting 20 years for influence. They’re betting their careers on smaller, faster, and more innovative firms that offer ownership, impact, and a front-row seat to the AI revolution. Unless the giants transform their DNA, the consulting future may no longer belong to the Big Four.