Telstra to axe 209 roles from AI joint venture with Accenture
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The news: Telstra is planning to cut over 200 roles from its AI joint venture with Accenture, with some positions to be offshored to India.
The numbers: A spokesperson for the $700 million global AI JV launched by the consultancy and telecoms giant Telstra in January 2025 told the ABC that the Telstra Accenture Data & AI Joint Venture team were notified on Tuesday about the proposed changes.
Of the 209 roles impacted, some will be eliminated while others will be moved to the JV team in India. It is unclear how many roles will be moved to India.
The context: If the changes proceed, a spokesperson told The Guardian, affected team members would be helped to find new jobs either at Telstra or at Accenture, or have “access to our leading career transition program and retrenchment benefits”.
"We anticipate that over time this would result in improved cost efficiencies and bring an enhanced experience to Telstra's customers," the spokesperson said.
Affected roles would not be replaced by AI, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
The proposed seven-year JV was launched to accelerate Telstra’s data and AI roadmap, with Accenture owning 60% of the JV and Telstra owning the remaining 40% while retaining control over its data and AI roadmap. The joint venture would comprise specialists from Telstra and Accenture's data and AI teams to improve business processes through new capabilities like agentic AI.
The sources: ABC, The Guardian, SMH
