The Accounting Podcast

Will AI replace accountants—or finally ease the profession’s talent shortage? Blake and David unpack why AI-exposed accounting roles are seeing pay rise, not fall; how EY cut audit deficiencies from 28% to under 5%; and why firms must give AI agents limited access and auditable logins. They also explore the coming firm structure: fewer staff, more AI agents, and partners focused on judgment, review, and client relations...

Could AI make a one-person audit firm possible—and what happens if the data-center boom slows down first? Blake and David examine the AI economy’s circular debt, the construction ripple effects of a pullback, and practical ways firms can document workflows before automating them. They also cover AI-powered continuous audits, Mercury’s new general ledger, and tax evasion headlines.

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Is AI the real threat to accounting firms, or is it the client experience? Blake and David unpack a KPMG-linked Polymarket insider-trading investigation, AI-powered fraud, Xero’s influencer backlash, and a tax startup founder charged with defrauding investors. They also share their own experiments using Claude and ChatGPT to prepare tax returns, making the case that firms must eliminate frustrating back-and-forth if they want...

Can AI prepare a tax return—and catch errors the software misses? Blake shares how Claude Cowork reconciled books, built workpapers, and completed two business returns, while David examines EY’s bonuses for human judgment, Deloitte’s $21 million DEI settlement, and PwC’s Evergrande exposure. Plus, Cloud Accountant Staffing’s Jordan Sublette explains why onshoring is joining offshore hiring strategies f...

Can AI make tax prep cheaper without replacing the experts behind it? Hector Garcia joins Blake and David to unpack Intuit’s TurboTax pricing pressure, QuickBooks’ push into the mid-market, and whether AI-powered services are a bridge to automation. They also examine Thomson Reuters’ proprietary tax-and-legal AI model, Relate’s $100 million raise, and a student’s unusual path onto the New Mexico Board ...

AI agents are going rogue — deleting bookings, sending unauthorized emails, and lying about it — and Blake and David trace the trend into the $3 trillion of off-balance-sheet AI commitments hiding in Big Tech's footnotes (and why accountants will get blamed when the bubble pops). They also recap what stood out at XeroCon 2026. Then Hoover Institution fellow Ben Jaros runs the real numbers on California's Prop 40 billion...

Is AI creating an audit boom—or hiding the next Enron-style risk? Blake and David unpack NVIDIA’s $500 billion data-center financing plan, why Michael Burry sees warning signs, and how AI is speeding up audits while challenging existing standards. They also cover improved PCAOB inspection results, the end of BOI reporting, Tether’s long-awaited audit, QuickBooks Live’s overhaul, and practical AI workflows sm...

What does episode 500 reveal about where accounting is headed? Blake Oliver and David Leary celebrate the milestone with CFO.com’s Adam Zaki and Going Concern’s Adrienne Gonzalez. They unpack AI’s pressure on billable hours, shrinking entry-level pathways, the changing route to CFO, and PwC’s canceled Disney intern event. Plus, Blake shares what happened after NASBA challenged his CPE comments.

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Could Grant Thornton’s $5 billion CBIZ deal create a Big Five? Blake and David unpack the private-equity-backed combination, what it means for accounting firm ownership, and why controller talent is still hard to find. They also examine AI’s effect on finance judgment—and why nearly half of Gen Z workers say it makes them less intelligent—plus tariff refunds, audit scrutiny, and rising software prices.

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Could an AI agent decide to hack a system, or cancel your software subscription just to complete its task? Blake and David examine reports of AI agents escaping guardrails, flooding IRS rulemaking with generated comments, and taking autonomous business actions. They also trace accounting from ancient clay tokens to today’s AI economy, exploring why calculating profit and trustworthy records matter more than ever.

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Can one accountant really do tax prep five times faster with AI? Blake and David talk with Sam Leon, founder of The Millennial CPA, about how he uses Claude projects to turn client documents into tax workpapers, speed up review, and run a solo firm built around software. They also dig into where AI still falls short, why review remains the bottleneck, and what firms can realistically automate today.

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What do World Cup taxes, AI-built accounting tools, and remote work have in common? In this episode, Blake and David unpack how tax rules hit global athletes and sports bettors, why Xero’s new AI products signal a shift toward accountants building their own software, and where firms still face risk with audit standards, cybersecurity, and homegrown apps. You’ll also hear what’s really happening with remote work an...

What if one tax break could give your child a head start or hand them a pile of money at 18? Blake and David unpack the new Trump accounts, who should use them, and why advisors are split. They also dig into Australia’s latest Big Four scandal, worsening IRS service, AI’s growing role in tax and training, and what these shifts mean for accountants, firms, and clients.

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Are fake AI receipts becoming the next big headache for finance teams? Blake Oliver and David Leary unpack the surge in AI-generated expense fraud, why tax pros are rapidly adopting AI research tools, and how firms are using AI to automate month-end close and revenue recognition. They also cover NASBA’s response to criticism, Intuit’s renewed focus on accountants, and the implications of private equity and a shifting wo...

Can AI really clean up messy bookkeeping—and what happens when firms trust it too much? Blake and David break down KPMG’s error-filled AI report, the Pentagon’s new “Agentic Auditor,” and State Farm’s move to tie agent pay to AI. Blake also shares how he used Claude to complete two years of write-up work in hours, with practical lessons on where AI helps, where it fails, and why human review stil...

Will AI really automate most accounting work by 2040? Blake and David unpack what they heard at AICPA Engage, from deterministic AI agents and rising accounting enrollment to private equity’s growing influence on firms. Plus, Blake shares an exclusive interview with FICPA CEO Shelly Weir on Florida’s fight to protect CPA licensure. Listen to understand where the profession is heading—and what accountants may need ...

Can AI now do bookkeeping better than humans? Blake and David dig into new data showing major AI models outperforming outsourced accountants on basic transaction coding, then explore what that means for firms, finance teams, and the future of audit. They also cover a one-person finance team powered by AI agents, KPMG’s scramble to keep up, and why the accounting talent shortage still isn’t going away.

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Is private equity betting on the wrong accounting firms? Blake and David break down CBIZ’s stock slide, why investors may be losing faith in the traditional firm model, and how AI could help smaller firms compete far above their size. They also cover Starbucks ditching AI inventory counts, Microsoft reining in AI tool costs, and what all of it means for accountants navigating automation, pricing, and the future of firm growth...

Is AI about to break the billable hour? Blake and David unpack what they heard at a major AI tax summit, where new tools promise to prepare complex returns in minutes instead of hours. They also debate Intuit’s stock slide, Trump’s extraordinary IRS settlement, and what shrinking oversight at the PCAOB could mean. You’ll hear where AI is already changing accounting—and where humans still matter most.

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