TL;DR

Accenture has begun calling its nearly 800,000 employees “reinventors” following a June reorganisation that merged five divisions into a single “Reinvention Services” unit. The rebrand accompanies warnings that staff unable to adapt to AI will face exit, with 11,000 already laid off.

Consultancy Doubles Down on AI Positioning

Accenture’s CEO Julie Sweet has started using the “reinventor” label for staff, with the company pushing for wider adoption of the term. The move follows a restructure that combined strategy, consulting, creative, technology, and operations divisions into one unit—signalling the consultancy’s determination to position itself as an AI leader.

The rebranding effort arrives three years after Accenture renamed its interactive division to “Accenture Song” in a bid to dominate the creative advertising industry. That rebrand was widely mocked, and industry observers suggest history may repeat itself.

“From the people that brought you Accenture Song now come the ‘reinventors’, staff are going to cringe,” said Damon Collins, co-founder of marketing agency Joint. “It is a very unusual bit of corporate panic, they really have the wrong end of the Nvidia chip.”

AI Adaptation or Exit

The terminology shift accompanies substantive workforce changes. Sweet told investors in September that Accenture would “exit” employees not adapting to AI at work. While the company is training staff in generative AI fundamentals, those for whom “reskilling, based on our experience, is not a viable path for the skills we need” will be shown the door. An initial restructure already removed 11,000 staff, leaving 791,000 employees.

Accenture has reportedly built an internal HR website version where staff are referred to as “reinventors” rather than “workers.”

Risks of Large-Scale Rebranding

Gonzalo Brujó, global chief executive at Interbrand, warned the approach could create confusion. “To be a real reinventor is really a name for just a few people,” he said. “The reality is everyone has different roles and very few will be true reinventors.”

The company faces additional pressures: shares have lost more than a quarter of their value this year, with Donald Trump ordering US agencies to review spending with large consultancies.

Looking Forward

For businesses evaluating consultancy partners, Accenture’s aggressive AI positioning raises questions about substance versus symbolism. The “reinventor” push suggests the company views AI capability as existential—but whether rebranding translates into genuine competitive advantage remains to be seen.

Source: The Guardian