Consultants Have Flocked to A.I. Start-Ups
A.I. firms are hiring young consultants to handle strategy and business development, offering significant pay hikes.
Updated on Sept. 21, 2026 in Job Search
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Young consultants are increasingly leaving major firms to join A.I. start-ups, where they are often offered base salary increases of 30 percent or more. This shift highlights a competitive labor market for business-savvy talent in the rapidly growing artificial intelligence sector.
Why it matters
A.I. companies are prioritizing hires with consulting backgrounds to lead strategy operations and sales, filling a gap for non-engineering talent. This trend challenges traditional firms to justify their value propositions as start-ups dangle higher compensation and equity upside.
Junior consultants typically earn $110,000 to $120,000 annually, while some moving to A.I. start-ups have secured salary increases of nearly 90 percent. Despite this migration, McKinsey reports that it still receives over 1 million applications annually while maintaining a hiring rate below 1 percent.
The players
McKinsey
A premier global management consulting firm that provides strategic advisory services to large enterprises.
The details
A.I. start-ups are actively recruiting consultants to manage core business functions, such as strategy and business development, rather than technical engineering roles. These firms leverage their high growth potential and equity packages to outbid established professional services firms for talent. Meanwhile, consulting firms maintain their pipeline strength through high applicant volumes, contending that departures remain within expected norms.
Timeline
The trend was reported on September 21, 2026.
Market Landscape
This talent migration mirrors historical shifts during previous technology booms where consultants prioritized equity-rich compensation. It represents an ongoing trend of A.I. firms professionalizing their business operations by poaching high-performing staff from established consultancies.
Operators in high-growth tech sectors should monitor these recruitment shifts to understand the premium required to land top-tier business operations talent. Firms losing staff to A.I. competitors may need to evaluate their bonus structures and long-term career growth offerings to remain competitive.
The takeaway
The movement of talent from consulting to A.I. signals that tech founders are increasingly valuing strategy and business development expertise as much as technical prowess. Managers should audit their compensation strategies against these industry-wide salary hikes to retain top-tier talent.
Further reading
For more on evolving hiring dynamics, visit the Job Search section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The New York Times.
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