The Accounting Podcast

Frontier Models Outscore CPAs & What Clients Will Spend on Accounting

The Accounting Podcast

Show Notes

AI outperformed 12 CPAs on a month-end close benchmark, but that doesn’t mean it can replace them. Blake Oliver and David Leary unpack the study’s limits and why adding AI to existing workflows may not save time. They also explore survey findings that accounting budgets triple when businesses hit $1 million in revenue, plus why most firms are invisible in AI searches. Learn what these shifts mean for your firm’s processes, pricing, and marketing.

Sponsors Cloud Accountant Staffing - http://accountingpodcast.promo/cas OnPay - http://accountingpodcast.promo/onpay Finance Accounting Technology Expo - http://accountingpodcast.promo/fate SavantLabs - http://accountingpodcast.promo/savant

Chapters (00:00) - AI Search Visibility Crisis

(00:24) - Show Intro and Headlines

(02:38) - Livestream Shoutouts

(03:18) - AI Beats CPAs Study

(05:40) - Charts Speed and Accuracy

(08:27) - Why Humans Lag Context

(10:31) - When AI Plus Human Fails

(20:00) - AI Native Workflow Shift

(26:52) - Sams List Client Budgets

(29:48) - Small Biz Client Focus

(30:36) - What Clients Actually Want

(31:35) - Pricing Reality Check

(34:06) - Startup Budget Mindset

(36:34) - New Studio Chat

(37:59) - AI Progress Story

(43:29) - Ramp Glass Orchestration

(47:26) - AI Search Disrupts SEO

(50:41) - How To Get Recommended

(53:13) - Niche Beats Location SEO

(55:21) - Wrap Up And CPE

Show Notes

Human Baselines for Benchmarks: AI Now Outperforms Junior Accountants https://www.mercor.com/blog/human-baselines-for-benchmarks-ai-now-outperforms-junior-accountants/ Clients Spend $5K a Year on Accountant Until Revenue Passes $1M https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/clients-spend-5k-a-year-on-accountant-until-revenue-passes-1m Meta Is Back in the AI Race. Muse Wonder Just Ranked #2 for Accounting https://www.dualentry.com/blog/muse-wonder-just-ranked-2-for-accounting Ramp’s $1.5 Million Week of Spending Leads to Glass AI Tool https://www.pymnts.com/?p=4306638 Ramp Glass https://ramp.com/glass AI Recommendations Favoring Narrow Band of Big Firms https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/ai-recommendations-favoring-narrow-band-of-big-firms

Need CPE? Get CPE for listening to podcasts with Earmark: https://earmarkcpe.com Subscribe to the Earmark Podcast: https://podcast.earmarkcpe.com

Get in Touch Thanks for listening and the great reviews! We appreciate you! Follow and tweet @BlakeTOliver and @DavidLeary. Find us on Facebook and Instagram. If you like what you hear, please do us a favor and write a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser. Call us and leave a voicemail; maybe we'll play it on the show. DIAL (202) 695-1040.

Sponsorships Are you interested in sponsoring The Accounting Podcast? For details, read the prospectus.

Need Accounting Conference Info? Check out our new website - accountingconferences.com

Limited edition shirts, stickers, and other necessities TeePublic Store: http://cloudacctpod.link/merch

Subscribe Apple Podcasts: http://cloudacctpod.link/ApplePodcasts YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheAccountingPodcast Spotify: http://cloudacctpod.link/Spotify Podchaser: http://cloudacctpod.link/podchaser Stitcher: http://cloudacctpod.link/Stitcher Overcast: http://cloudacctpod.link/Overcast

Classifieds ProfitRoot - https://tryprofitroot.com/ Want to get the word out about your newsletter, webinar, party, Facebook group, podcast, e-book, job posting, or that fancy Excel macro you just created? Let the listeners of The Accounting Podcast know by running a classified ad. Go here to create your classified ad: https://cloudacctpod.link/RunClassifiedAd

Transcripts The full transcript for this episode is available by clicking on the Transcript tab at the top of this page

More from The Accounting Podcast

Oct 7, 2026

Could AI replace your CFO or simply make their job more exhausting? Blake and David debate automation’s limits, unpack an enrolled agent’s log of 188 IRS calls, and explore proposed reforms to taxpayer service. They also examine why AI is putting pressure on billable hours, gaps in AI safety audit requirements, and a romance scam victim’s $225,000 tax bill. Learn what these developments could mean for your firm, clients, and workload.

Oct 1, 2026

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 relationships.

Sep 25, 2026

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.

Sep 18, 2026

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 to keep clients.

Sep 10, 2026

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 for accounting firms.

See all episodes →