When a major consultancy makes an acquisition, it’s worth asking: what are they betting on?
Accenture’s acquisition of Excelion isn’t just a capability play. It’s a signal about where they think enterprise AI is heading—and how they plan to be positioned when it arrives.
The pattern to watch:
Consultancies are realising that the old model—advise, then hand off to implementation partners—doesn’t work for AI. AI projects fail when there’s a gap between strategy and execution. The people designing the solution need to be the people building it.
This is why we’re seeing vertical integration across the consulting industry. McKinsey building QuantumBlack. Bain acquiring Google Cloud partnerships. And now Accenture absorbing more AI build capability.
What this means for smaller players:
The consolidation creates an opportunity. As the big firms move toward “full stack” AI consulting, there’s a gap for specialists who can move fast.
- Enterprises who can’t wait 18 months for a big-firm transformation
- Mid-market companies who can’t afford big-firm rates
- Specific use cases that need depth, not breadth
The future isn’t just big vs small. It’s fast vs slow.
The futures lens:
Every acquisition is a bet on the future. When you see a pattern of bets, you’re seeing convergent expectations. Right now, the bet is clear: AI capability without build capability is worthless. Advisory alone doesn’t cut it anymore.
The question for any AI practitioner: are you positioned to advise and build?
