Accenture Launches $865M Six‑Month Restructuring

Accenture has launched a six‑month, $865 million business‑optimization program tied to its AI push that includes two divestitures and aims to deliver more than $1 billion in savings to be reinvested. As part of the plan the firm has exited and laid off over 11,000 employees in roughly three months, cutting headcount from about 791,000 to 779,000 and signaling more exits on a compressed timeline through November/early‑FY26. CEO Julie Sweet said upskilling is the company’s top strategy; Accenture says it has trained roughly 550,000 employees in generative AI fundamentals and grown its AI and data specialist ranks to about 77,000. The company booked roughly $615 million of restructuring charges (mostly severance) in the June–August quarter and expects an additional ~$250 million next quarter to reach the $865 million total. Accenture reported quarterly revenue of about $17.6 billion and fiscal 2025 revenue of $69.7 billion (up 7%) and said it expects to increase overall headcount in 2026 as it hires AI talent. Analysts say the moves reflect a broader industry rotation of talent combining large‑scale retraining, rapid exits, selective divestitures and monetization of soaring AI consulting demand.