Show Notes
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.
Sponsors Canopy - http://accountingpodcast.promo/canopy OnPay - http://accountingpodcast.promo/onpay C&R Consulting - http://accountingpodcast.promo/cnr Maxima.AI - http://accountingpodcast.promo/maxima
Chapters (00:00) - TAP 490
(02:53) - CBIZ Stock Slide
(06:13) - AI Threat to Firm Models
(11:32) - EisnerAmper Anti AI Take
(15:42) - Livestream Shoutouts
(16:13) - New England CPA Society Merge
(20:42) - Starbucks Kills AI Inventory
(23:34) - NASBA Exam Data Mess
(26:34) - Phoenix Call Center Jobs and AI
(28:36) - Will AI Really Kill Jobs
(31:09) - Spreadsheets Then AI Now
(33:07) - Automation Enables CFO Services
(35:08) - Microsoft AI Token Shock
(36:31) - Managing Token Spend
(39:27) - AI Architect Role
(43:36) - Trump IRS Settlement Reopened
(45:04) - Beneficial Ownership Bill
(45:52) - Newsom 100% Tax Threat
(46:57) - KPMG Australia Whistleblower
(49:35) - Xero Force No Code Agents
(54:03) - Xero Earnings Melio Impact
(59:03) - Vibe Coding Real Examples
(01:02:35) - Wrap Up Earmark CPE
Show Notes
What Can We Learn from CBIZ? https://www.accountingtoday.com/opinion/what-can-we-learn-from-cbiz
EisnerAmper on Accounting for AI https://www.privatefundscfo.com/eisneramper-on-accounting-for-ai/
State Societies Merge to Form New England Society of CPAs https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/state-societies-merge-to-form-new-england-society-of-cpas
Starbucks Kills Off Its Automated Counting AI Tool After Just 9 Months https://www.goingconcern.com/starbucks-kills-off-its-automated-counting-ai-tool-after-just-9-months-because-it-sucked-at-counting/
NASBA's CPA Exam Reporting Problems Are Improving, But Not Solved https://www.accountingtoday.com/opinion/nasbas-cpa-exam-reporting-problems-are-improving-but-not-solved
Phoenix Built an Empire of Cubicle Jobs. AI Is Coming to Tear It Down. https://www.wsj.com/economy/jobs/phoenix-jobs-ai-call-centers-1ca1c3b3
Why the A.I. Job Apocalypse (Probably) Won't Happen https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/03/opinion/ai-jobs-unemployment.html
Microsoft Cut Its Engineers Off from AI Because the Bill Got Too Big https://fortune.com/2026/05/22/microsoft-ai-cost-problem-tokens-agents/
Does Your Firm Need an AI Architect? https://www.accountingtoday.com/opinion/does-your-firm-need-an-ai-architect
Judge Reopens Trump's $10 Billion IRS Lawsuit https://www.notus.org/donald-trump/trump-irs-suit-investigate-collusion
Newsom Vows California Will Impose 100% Tax on Trump's Anti-Weaponization Fund https://abc7.com/post/newsom-vows-california-will-impose-100-tax-trumps-18-billion-anti-weaponization-fund/19188298/
AICPA Backs Bill Limiting Beneficial Ownership Reporting https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/aicpa-backs-bill-limiting-beneficial-ownership-reporting
KPMG Australia CEO Andrew Yates Resigns Amid Whistleblower Scandal https://www.internationalaccountingbulletin.com/news/kpmg-australia-ceo-andrew-yates-resigns-amid-whistleblower-scandal/
Xero FY26 Result: Revenue Surges 31% but Profit Dips Due to Melio Acquisition Costs https://www.fool.com.au/2026/05/14/xero-fy26-result-revenue-surges-31-but-profit-dips-due-to-melio-acquisition-costs/ 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 lea
More from The Accounting Podcast
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.