After 11,000 layoffs, Accenture says use AI at work or there will be no valuation for you
Accenture has reportedly informed senior employees that their promotions will now be linked to AI use. This comes at a time when Microsoft, Google and Meta have made similar announcements as the industry focuses on an AI-powered future.
Artificial Intelligence is changing the way we work. And companies want you to join in, too. Accenture has announced that promotions for senior employees will now depend on how much AI they are using at work. The message seems clear, those who don’t use AI will be left behind.
According to the Financial Times, the company has informed associate directors and senior managers that promotion to leadership roles will require “regular adoption” of AI tools via an email. That is, if you don’t use AI, you probably won’t get a promotion.
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This comes at a time when Accenture is increasingly focusing on AI. During the India AI Impact Summit, Julie Sweet, CEO of Accenture, discussed the future of companies with AI. “Companies must be prepared to rethink how they operate their processes, how they have been operating for the past few decades. Companies must invest in reshaping their workforce,” he said.
Accenture had previously laid off 11,000 employees who it believed could not be “reskilled” with AI. The company has spent $2 billion on severance packages in the last three years alone.
Accenture joins Google, Microsoft in advancing AI
This is not the first time that a company has given such a clear indication that it wants employees to focus solely on AI.
In June 2025, Microsoft told employees that “the use of AI is no longer optional.” Microsoft executive Julia Lewison advised managers to consider the use of AI in performance appraisal. A few weeks ago, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella reportedly warned senior executives that they should consider leaving the company if they did not have confidence in its AI plans.
While Meta reportedly started tracking employees’ AI usage as early as October last year, Google is not far behind. The company recently offered voluntary exit to select business unit employees who cannot ‘fully rely on AI’. Last year, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said that those who don’t use AI at Google “risk being left behind.”
This signals an industry-wide shift as companies focus more on productivity through AI. More than one lakh IT employees have been laid off last year, which includes companies like Amazon, TCS, Infosys, Accenture. Companies are betting that AI will help them increase productivity while reducing headcount in the process. And to ensure that this bet is successful, they want their employees to use AI as much as possible.
How will Accenture use Monitor AI?
The company will reportedly monitor the use of its AI tools by employees. This will include tracking log-ins to in-house AI platforms like AI Refinery. Accenture will be able to get a full picture of who is actually using AI at work.
Accenture CEO Julie Sweet previously described AI Refinery as a platform that will “create opportunities for companies to reimagine their processes and operations.” The AI Refinery was built in partnership with NVIDIA.
However, this does not apply to all employees. According to the report, employees in 12 European countries and divisions that manage U.S. government contracts have been exempted, primarily due to regulatory or contractual limitations on their use of the technology. It is also unclear whether entry-level employees might face similar mandates in the future.
