📊 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 formation of new enterprise services units designed to embed AI engineers directly into mid-sized companies, effectively adopting a consulting firm model. This strategic shift aims to capture a larger share of enterprise AI deployment revenue and challenge traditional consulting firms.

On May 4, Anthropic revealed a $1.5 billion AI-native enterprise services joint venture backed by major asset managers, including Blackstone, Hellman & Friedman, and Goldman Sachs. The company plans to embed its Applied AI engineers into mid-market firms across sectors like healthcare, manufacturing, and financial services, using a model inspired by Palantir’s forward-deploy engineering approach.

Two days later, on May 6, OpenAI announced a similar initiative called ‘DeployCo,’ backed by a consortium including TPG, Bain Capital, and others, with a $10 billion valuation and commitments of $4 billion. DeployCo aims to serve similar mid-market clients, positioning itself as a direct competitor to Anthropic’s venture.

The timing of these announcements, coupled with subsequent product launches on May 7, suggests a coordinated effort to position these firms as enterprise-focused, revenue-generating entities, with a clear goal of IPO readiness by late 2026. Industry insiders interpret these moves as a direct challenge to the traditional consulting industry, which currently dominates enterprise AI deployment.

Disruption of the Enterprise Consulting Industry by AI Native Firms

These developments mark a significant shift in how large language models and AI tools are deployed at scale within enterprises. By establishing consulting-like units, Anthropic and OpenAI aim to bypass traditional consulting firms, capturing more value from enterprise AI projects and reshaping the competitive landscape. This could lead to a major reallocation of billions of dollars currently spent on human consulting services, especially in the mid-market segment, and accelerate the adoption of AI-driven workflows across industries.

Strategic Moves Toward Direct Enterprise Engagement

Historically, AI deployment in enterprises has relied heavily on large consulting firms like McKinsey, BCG, and the Big Four consulting firms, which provide strategic advice and system integration. Anthropic’s and OpenAI’s new ventures represent a structural shift, where AI-native companies are directly embedding engineers into client organizations to deliver outcomes, similar to Palantir’s forward-deploy model. This approach is aimed at capturing a larger share of the estimated $1.4 trillion global IT services market, particularly targeting the mid-market segment that is too small for the Big Four to serve profitably but too complex for self-service software.

“The structural shift signals a move away from traditional consulting toward AI-native, embedded engineering models that promise to deliver outcomes directly, disrupting the $6-to-$1 services-to-software spending ratio.”

— Thorsten Meyer

Unclear Details on Long-Term Impact and Market Adoption

While the announced ventures are significant, it remains uncertain how quickly and extensively mid-market companies will adopt these AI-native consulting models. It is also unclear whether traditional consulting firms will adapt or resist these disruptions, and how the regulatory and competitive environment will evolve as these new entities scale.

Next Steps in Enterprise AI Deployment and Industry Reactions

In the coming months, further details on the operational scale and client engagements of these ventures are expected to emerge. Industry observers will monitor how traditional consulting firms respond, whether these AI-native firms succeed in capturing significant market share, and if IPO plans materialize as anticipated by late 2026. Additional product launches and client announcements will clarify the trajectory of this strategic shift.

Key Questions

How do these new ventures differ from traditional consulting firms?

They embed AI engineers directly into client organizations to deliver outcomes, using AI-native models rather than providing strategic advice or system integration services alone.

Will these ventures replace existing consulting firms?

They aim to target the mid-market segment, which is currently underserved by large consultancies, and may complement or challenge traditional firms depending on adoption rates and industry responses.

What is the strategic goal behind these moves?

The goal is to capture a larger share of enterprise AI deployment revenue, accelerate adoption, and position these firms for IPOs by late 2026, disrupting the existing consulting industry landscape.

Are these initiatives limited to specific industries?

Initially, they target sectors like healthcare, manufacturing, financial services, retail, and real estate—mid-market segments where AI-driven workflow redesign can have immediate impact.

What risks do these ventures face?

Potential risks include slow client adoption, regulatory hurdles, resistance from established consulting firms, and operational challenges in scaling embedded engineering models.

Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com