That strategic divergence now gives EY something none of its rivals can offer Anthropic: a clean slate. An auditor that also collects revenue from a client through consulting or technology partnerships creates exactly the kind of dual relationship that regulators frown upon. KPMG rounded out the trio on May 19, 2026, signing a global alliance with Anthropic that gives its 276,000-plus employees access to Claude technology. EY’s accidental advantageIn May 2026, EY unveiled a $1 billion initiative centered on Microsoft technology. But the current situation with Anthropic shows how AI partnerships have created a new category of entanglement that the original regulations didn’t quite anticipate.