McKinsey Workforce: 40,000 Humans, 25,000 AI Agents

McKinsey & Company Global Managing Partner Bob Sternfels has disclosed that the firm’s “workforce” now includes 25,000 AI agents alongside 40,000 human employees.

Speaking at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January 2026, Bob described a future where the traditional 1:1 ratio between humans and digital assistants is becoming the new organizational standard.

The “25-Squared” Transformation

This shift is part of a strategic overhaul Bob calls the “25-squared” model.

Under this framework, McKinsey has successfully grown its client-facing headcount—consultants who work directly on-site with leadership teams—by 25%.

Simultaneously, the firm has reduced its non-client-facing “back-office” roles by approximately 25%.

Despite having a smaller administrative and support staff, the output of these functions has actually increased by 10%, a feat the firm attributes entirely to its fleet of autonomous AI agents.

Beyond Chatbots: The Rise of Autonomous Agents

Bob clarified that these 25,000 digital entities are not mere chatbots like ChatGPT but “personalized AI agents” capable of executing entire job functions independently.

These agents currently handle complex, multi-step workflows including:

• Information Synthesis: Saving the firm an estimated 1.5 million hours annually in research.
• Visual Deliverables: Generating over 2.5 million charts and data visualizations in the last six months alone.
• Logical Auditing: Reviewing consultant work for consistency, tone, and logical rigor.

McKinsey & Company Moving “Up the Stack”

The integration of AI has fundamentally altered the career path of junior consultants.

Tasks that once served as the “apprenticeship” of young analysts—such as building slide decks and data entry—are now largely automated.

Bob argued that this allows human employees to “move up the stack.”

They can now focus on high-level strategic problem-solving, emotional intelligence, and complex judgment calls that AI cannot replicate.

“Growth used to be synonymous with total headcount growth. Now, it is splitting,” Bob noted, indicating that McKinsey can now scale its business without a linear increase in human staff.

The firm’s pivot also includes a change in its business model.

McKinsey is increasingly moving away from billing solely for “hours worked” and toward outcome-based fees, where they underwrite specific business results for clients.

By the end of 2026, Bob expects the number of AI agents to match or exceed the number of human employees.

This shift will effectively create a 1:1 partnership for every individual at the firm.

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