McKinsey & Co., the consulting powerhouse that advises Fortune 500 giants on efficiency, now turns the knife inward. The firm plans cuts in non-client-facing divisions—up to 10% of staff in some areas, potentially thousands over the next 18 to 24 months. Headcount, once surging past 45,000, sits at 40,000. And it’s still dropping. Clients spend less. Projects stall. Automation and AI handle tasks consultants once billed by the hour. Capacity exceeds demand. Yet AI also sparks fresh demand as corporations race to deploy it. That push-pull clouds the industry’s path forward. McKinsey isn’t isolated. Accenture laid off thousands, as reported by Yahoo Finance . KPMG trimmed less than 4% of its U.S. audit workforce, per Reuters . PwC slashed business services roles, according to The Wall Street Journal . EY, Deloitte, Bain—all followed suit since 2023. Smaller outfits piled on. Symbolic Blow to Elite Stability In white-collar America, McKinsey stands as a beacon of job security. Ivy pedigrees.…