[HelloMcFly]

Accenture has over 700,000 employees. Pretty easy to see how they'd get lumped in given they are everywhere, working for everyone.

I am not nor have I ever been an Accenture consultant.

[mitt_romney_12]

The Big 3 distinction isn't based on firm size (McKinsey, Bain, and BCG only have 38k, 25k, and 15k employees respectively) but rather on prestige and type of work done.

[ThisIsTheWay]

Is this distinction why they are often called the Top 3, not the Big 3?

[mitt_romney_12]

I haven't really heard Top 3 so I can't say, usually it's Big 3 or MBB. The Big part refers more to prestige and influence rather than actually size.

[barry-cotter]

Dell is not lumped in with MAGMA even though they’re everywhere and everyone knows who they are because they have completely different business models, employee pools and compensation. They’re barely in the same industry, if you squint. Similarly with Accenture and prestige consultancies. If you were going to have a Big 4 the fourth would be AT Kearney, not Accenture.