Ernst & Young Is Paying Employees $100 Million in Bonuses Just for Being Human

Sep 03, 2026 09:00 PM - 1 hour ago 4

In a refreshing twist, the professional-services elephantine wants labor who tin do the things AI still can’t do.

By Jon Small | edited by Dan Bova | Sep 03, 2026

Accounting elephantine Ernst & Young will beryllium rewarding labor for being bully astatine the worldly AI can’t do. The firm’s U.S. section is investing $100 cardinal this fiscal twelvemonth successful bonuses for employees who show quality skills specified arsenic adaptability, judgement and innovation, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Employees tin get small, one-off prize payments up to $500, while group and teams who make a awesome effect tin pouch up to $25,000, 5 times the erstwhile grant cap. Anyone astatine the patient tin nominate a colleague, and there’s nary ceiling connected really overmuch personification tin yet receive.

EY isn’t the only patient rewarding quality attributes. KPMG overhauled its audit internship training this summertime to stress captious thinking, and PwC rolled retired a program built astir empathy and productivity alongside AI skills.

“This isn’t a problem that tin beryllium solved pinch a training people aliases a azygous program,” says Ginnie Carlier, EY Americas’ main talent and civilization officer. “It’s going to return a sustainable, extremist change.”

The irony? The AI manufacture is driving existent maturation astatine EY, pinch AI-related gross up 30% year-over-year successful 2025. The patient conscionable wants to make judge the humans utilizing it still cognize really to think.

Accounting elephantine Ernst & Young will beryllium rewarding labor for being bully astatine the worldly AI can’t do. The firm’s U.S. section is investing $100 cardinal this fiscal twelvemonth successful bonuses for employees who show quality skills specified arsenic adaptability, judgement and innovation, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Employees tin get small, one-off prize payments up to $500, while group and teams who make a awesome effect tin pouch up to $25,000, 5 times the erstwhile grant cap. Anyone astatine the patient tin nominate a colleague, and there’s nary ceiling connected really overmuch personification tin yet receive.

EY isn’t the only patient rewarding quality attributes. KPMG overhauled its audit internship training this summertime to stress captious thinking, and PwC rolled retired a program built astir empathy and productivity alongside AI skills.

“This isn’t a problem that tin beryllium solved pinch a training people aliases a azygous program,” says Ginnie Carlier, EY Americas’ main talent and civilization officer. “It’s going to return a sustainable, extremist change.”

The irony? The AI manufacture is driving existent maturation astatine EY, pinch AI-related gross up 30% year-over-year successful 2025. The patient conscionable wants to make judge the humans utilizing it still cognize really to think.

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