yesfor.ai vs Big4

What the Big4 are in the context of AI

The Big4 are the four largest global professional services firms: Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Ernst & Young (EY), KPMG. Each employs several hundred thousand people globally and a few thousand in Poland. Each has an AI or Data & Analytics unit in Poland as part of a broader technology practice.

Source Global Research publishes an annual analysis of the global consulting market with dedicated sections for AI. Vault ranks consulting firms on quality and compensation.

In the context of AI, the Big4 mainly offer strategic services (AI strategy, transformation roadmap, governance) and partner integrations with technology vendors (Microsoft Azure AI, IBM watsonx, Salesforce Einstein, Oracle).

Key structural differences

Project scale. The Big4 have a minimum engagement size calibrated to their internal economics: maintaining multidisciplinary teams, partners, infrastructure. Projects below a certain threshold sit outside their business model. yesfor.ai operates in a range where the Big4 either do not operate or operate with juniors.

Team composition. The Big4 run AI projects with multidisciplinary teams that include a strategy partner, a senior manager, managers and junior consultants. yesfor.ai runs projects with a team of one to three people in which the founder is an active member of the team, not a supervisor.

Vendor independence. The Big4 have strategic partnerships with technology vendors (Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, Salesforce, SAP). These partnerships generate revenue and influence recommendations. yesfor.ai has no partner contracts with technology vendors.

Deliverable. The typical Big4 deliverable is a strategic document (a few dozen to a few hundred pages) plus a presentation for the board. yesfor.ai delivers an operational plan with concrete quick wins and a pilot implementation as the next phase.

Global network. The Big4 have offices in most countries in the world. For a global enterprise with subsidiaries across many jurisdictions, that is a meaningful advantage. yesfor.ai is fully Polish, but that also makes it an expert on the Polish regulatory context (KNF Recommendation S, the AI Act, GDPR as interpreted by the UODO).

When to choose the Big4

Three real scenarios in which the Big4 hold a structural advantage.

An enterprise-wide strategic transformation with a large budget. An implementation that spans many processes across many locations requires the multidisciplinary teams that a boutique does not have.

A global vendor network is needed. Subsidiaries in five countries, one audit with one provider and local consultants in each location. The Big4 have a global delivery infrastructure.

Branded credibility for a regulator or investor. Some supervisory boards, investment committees or regulators prefer a Big4 recommendation as a condition for approving a strategic budget. A boutique cannot match that reputational value.

When to choose yesfor.ai

Three real scenarios in which a boutique holds a structural advantage.

Smaller budgets and first AI projects. yesfor.ai works in a range where the Big4 do not operate because of their minimum engagement size, or where they operate with junior teams. A typical Polish company of 200 to 3,000 people running its first AI project often has a budget below that threshold.

Direct access to the founder throughout the project. In the Big4 model the partner meets the client a few times during the project, and most of the work is done by senior managers and consultants. At yesfor.ai the founder runs the project directly. For the boards of Polish mid-market companies, that contact often carries more value than the Big4 brand.

Vendor-agnostic advice. The absence of strategic partnerships with AI vendors removes the conflict of interest. Technology recommendations are driven solely by what best fits the use case.

An operational plan instead of a strategic document. yesfor.ai delivers a pilot implementation as the next phase of the audit. The Big4 usually stop at the document and leave implementation to another provider.

Conclusion, without ideology

The Big4 are not "worse," they are larger. A boutique is not "better," it is smaller. Each has its own band of problems where its model works best.

For Polish mid-market companies running their first AI project, a boutique often holds a structural advantage. For a global enterprise with a transformation across many countries, the Big4. The decision should rest on the scale of the problem, not on the brand.

If you are not sure which category your company falls into, book a discovery call. We will tell you honestly.