How Deloitte, KPMG, EY, and PwC Divide Up the World's Biggest Companies
Ernst & Young — better known as EY — audits and advises some of the most recognisable companies on the planet. From retail giants to tech titans, the firm's client roster spans virtually every major industry. If you're targeting a career at EY (or any of the other Big 4 firms — Deloitte, KPMG, and PwC), understanding who they work with tells you a lot about what you'd actually be doing day-to-day.
🔵 EY has audited Walmart since 1969 — and Alphabet paid the firm over $41 million in a single year for audit and related services alone.
Here's a breakdown of EY's biggest clients, the sectors it dominates, and what it means for your career.
EY's Biggest Audit Clients
EY is one of the Big 4 accounting and professional services firms, alongside Deloitte, KPMG, and PwC — and together they audit nearly all Fortune 500 companies. EY audits around 28 companies in the Fortune 100 alone. Its share includes some of the most high-profile names on the planet:
- Walmart — EY's longest-standing major client, with a relationship stretching back to 1969. One of the world's largest companies, and one of EY's most significant audit engagements globally.
- Amazon — EY serves as Amazon's external auditor, billing roughly $22–25 million per year in audit fees — a relationship that spans one of the world's biggest e-commerce and cloud businesses.
- Alphabet (Google) — Alphabet paid EY over $41 million in one year for auditing and related services, making it one of EY's most lucrative client relationships.
- Apple — EY has been Apple's auditor since at least 2009, a long-standing partnership with one of the world's most valuable companies.
- AT&T — one of EY's largest US audit clients by fee size, alongside Verizon Communications — the firm dominates the communications sector.
- Coca-Cola, Lockheed Martin, BP, ConocoPhillips, Workday, Salesforce — additional household names across consumer goods, defence, energy, and technology.
What EY's Client Mix Means for Your Career
Where a firm's clients are concentrated tells you exactly which industries are hiring and what skills get you noticed.
- For Students and Entry-Level Candidates: EY's dominance in tech (Amazon, Alphabet, Apple) and consumer (Walmart) means early-career roles often involve digital transformation, technology audits, and fast-moving consumer goods. Browse current Big 4 recruiting events to connect directly with EY teams.
- For Experienced Professionals: EY-Parthenon — the firm's strategy consulting arm — is known for work in private equity, healthcare, and education. Lateral hires with deep sector experience in these areas are in constant demand.
- For Current Consultants: If you're already in consulting and considering a move to EY, specialising in AI governance, ESG reporting, or supply chain advisory positions you well — all growth areas tied directly to EY's existing client base.
The Sectors Where EY Is Strongest
EY's client base isn't evenly spread across every industry. The firm has clear pockets of strength worth knowing before you apply:
- Technology: Amazon, Apple, Alphabet, Workday, Salesforce, HP, and Intuit are all EY audit clients. Tech generates significant revenue for the firm and creates strong demand for candidates with digital skills.
- Healthcare: EY earns over $313 million in healthcare audit fees and works across hospitals, managed care, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices — one of its biggest sectors by fee income.
- Communications: AT&T, Verizon, Alphabet, and Meta are all EY clients. The firm audits roughly 41% of companies in the communications sector.
- Energy: BP and ConocoPhillips are major clients, giving EY deep exposure to oil and gas — and increasingly, to the energy transition and sustainability advisory.
- Financial Services: EY works with leading banks, insurers, and asset managers worldwide — one of its highest-revenue practice areas globally.
- Consumer & Retail: Walmart and Whole Foods underline EY's strength in retail, supply chain, and consumer-facing businesses.
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How to Position Yourself for a Career at EY
EY's client base shapes what it hires for. Here's how to align your profile before you apply:
- Pick a sector and go deep: EY values specialists at the senior level. Choose one of its dominant sectors — tech, healthcare, financial services, energy — and build knowledge there through internships, certifications, or focused extracurricular projects.
- Understand what audit actually involves: For entry-level roles, audit is often the gateway. Knowing what it means to audit Amazon or Walmart — testing internal controls, verifying financial statements, assessing material risk — makes your applications sharper and your interviews stronger.
- Follow EY's thought leadership: EY publishes regular reports on AI, ESG, economic trends, and sector outlooks. Reading these helps you speak the firm's language and reference their strategic priorities in interviews.
- Attend EY recruiting events: EY runs campus visits, insight days, and open evenings throughout the year. These events are often the most direct path to getting your application noticed — and to building relationships that matter at the firm.
Find EY Events Before Everyone Else
EY's recruiting calendar fills up fast — especially in the autumn, when graduate and internship programmes open. Events available across all four Big 4 firms include:
- Insight days — spend a day inside EY, meet teams, and understand service lines first-hand
- Campus presentations — Q&As with EY recruiters at universities across the UK, US, and Europe
- Online hiring events — virtual sessions on specific roles, divisions, or locations
- Application workshops — get help preparing for EY's online tests and video interview stages
- Networking evenings — informal events designed to connect candidates with EY professionals
Start Tracking — Before Applications Open
EY works with Amazon, Alphabet, Walmart, Apple, and hundreds of other global companies across tech, healthcare, energy, and finance. That breadth is part of what makes a career at the firm genuinely interesting — no two client engagements look the same.
The first step is knowing when and where EY is recruiting. Those opportunities tend to fill up fast, and most candidates only hear about them after the fact.
📈 The candidates who land Big 4 roles aren't necessarily the smartest in the room — they're the ones who showed up at the right events at the right time.
Find the next EY recruiting event — and the ones at Deloitte, KPMG, and PwC — in the events calendar before applications open.
