What kind of advisory were you doing that was similar to audit? Current auditor with lots of advisory friends so I’m pretty familiar as well.

I see SOX implementation, M&A advisory, IT Advisory, etc. none of which I would consider similar to audit.

Not true at all. Very different service lines.

Your first point is true, but your second point is pure conspiracy. These firms work on the largest companies due to a multitude of reasons, but not the one you listed. Primarily due to: staffing, geographical presence, reputation, etc.

I’ve worked on audits where a competitor (big 4) was doing advisory work and constantly trying to get management to switch to them for audit work. There is very much no back scratching.