📊 Full opportunity report: The Forward-Deploy Pivot: Why Anthropic and OpenAI Are Becoming Consulting Firms in the Same Week on ThorstenMeyerAI.com — validation score, market gap, and execution plan.

Anthropic and OpenAI have each announced the creation of new enterprise services entities designed to embed AI engineers directly into mid-sized companies, marking a strategic shift toward AI-driven consulting models. This development signals a significant change in how AI companies are positioning themselves in the enterprise market, aiming to challenge traditional consulting firms.

On May 4, 2026, Anthropic announced a $1.5 billion enterprise services joint venture (JV) backed by major asset managers including Blackstone, Hellman & Friedman, Goldman Sachs, and others. The firm plans to embed Anthropic’s Applied AI engineers alongside its own teams into mid-sized sectors such as healthcare, manufacturing, and financial services, to redesign workflows around its Claude AI system. The structure draws inspiration from Palantir’s forward-deploy model.

Hours later, OpenAI revealed a similar initiative called ‘The Development Company’ (DeployCo), backed by private equity firms TPG, Bain Capital, and others, with a $4 billion commitment and a valuation of approximately $10 billion—more than six times larger than Anthropic’s vehicle. These parallel announcements, occurring within days, indicate a coordinated strategic push into enterprise services, with the aim of establishing a durable revenue stream and positioning for a potential IPO, possibly as early as October 2026.

Industry insiders interpret these moves as a direct challenge to the traditional consulting industry, which relies heavily on human consultants. The new models aim to replace or augment consulting services with AI-enhanced engineering, especially targeting the mid-market segment that is too small for the Big Four but too sophisticated for self-service software. The shift could redirect a significant portion of the $1.4 trillion global IT services market toward AI-native firms.

Implications for the Consulting Industry and Market Dynamics

This strategic pivot by Anthropic and OpenAI signals a profound disruption in the enterprise consulting landscape. By embedding AI engineers directly into client organizations, these firms aim to capture more value from the $6 spent on services for every dollar spent on software. This could threaten the dominance of traditional consulting giants like McKinsey, BCG, and the Big Four firms, especially in the mid-market segment where current offerings are less scalable and more costly.

The move also positions these AI companies as potential direct competitors to established consulting firms, with the ability to deliver outcomes more efficiently through AI-augmented teams. The structural shift could accelerate the transformation of enterprise workflows and redefine how companies adopt AI, with broader implications for the future of professional services and enterprise technology adoption.

Background of AI-Driven Consulting and Market Positioning

Over the past year, AI-native firms like Anthropic and OpenAI have rapidly expanded their enterprise capabilities, securing large contracts and raising significant funding rounds. Anthropic’s ARR is projected to reach over $9 billion by the end of 2025, with plans to surpass $30 billion by late March 2026. Meanwhile, OpenAI’s DeployCo has attracted $4 billion in private equity commitments and is valued at around $10 billion, positioning it as a major player in enterprise AI services.

Both companies have maintained existing relationships with major consultancies—Anthropic with the Claude Partner Network, including Accenture and Deloitte—while developing these new, equity-backed ventures. The structural reference point is Palantir’s forward-deploy model, which embeds engineers into client operations to customize solutions. The announcements suggest a strategic move to capture the mid-market segment, historically underserved by the largest consultancies and software providers.

“The formation of these new enterprise services firms signals a fundamental shift in how AI companies are positioning themselves, moving from software providers to embedded consulting partners.”

— Thorsten Meyer

Unclear Aspects of the Enterprise AI Consulting Shift

It remains unclear how quickly these ventures will scale and whether they will achieve the same level of trust and integration as traditional consulting firms. The long-term profitability and client retention strategies are still developing, and regulatory or competitive responses from established players are not yet visible.

Additionally, the exact valuation trajectory and how these firms will balance AI engineering with ongoing consulting services are still uncertain. The degree to which traditional consulting firms will adapt or resist these changes remains an open question.

Upcoming Milestones and Industry Responses

In the coming months, both Anthropic and OpenAI are expected to expand their enterprise teams, secure additional contracts, and refine their operational models. The potential IPO filings around October 2026 will be critical indicators of investor confidence and market acceptance. Meanwhile, traditional consulting firms are likely to respond with their own AI-enhanced offerings, possibly forming alliances or developing their own embedded AI teams.

Regulatory scrutiny and client adoption rates will also influence how these ventures evolve and whether they can sustain their initial momentum.

Key Questions

How do these new AI enterprise firms differ from traditional consulting companies?

They embed AI engineers directly into client organizations to redesign workflows around AI systems, aiming for more scalable, outcome-focused solutions rather than traditional advisory or project-based consulting.

What sectors are these firms targeting?

The initial focus is on mid-sized companies in healthcare, manufacturing, financial services, retail, and real estate, where the mid-market segment is underserved by existing consulting giants.

Will these ventures replace human consultants entirely?

While they aim to augment or replace certain consulting functions with AI, the long-term goal appears to be delivering outcomes more efficiently rather than wholesale replacement of human expertise.

What impact could this have on the global consulting market?

If successful, these AI-native firms could capture a significant share of the $1.4 trillion IT services market, especially in the mid-market, challenging the dominance of the Big Four and other traditional consultancies.

Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com