Show Notes
Blake breaks down how AI can help with cost segregation and explains why AI currently works best on tasks that take humans 2-5 minutes. Michael Burry is betting against AI companies, claiming they're manipulating earnings by stretching server depreciation from 3-4 years to 5-6 years, adding billions to their bottom lines. Also covered: Intuit's $100 million annual OpenAI deal to integrate QuickBooks and TurboTax into ChatGPT, new bank evidence in the Rippling corporate espionage case, and a survey showing 10% of adults are acting on AI tax advice despite error rates up to 50%.
Sponsors OnPay - http://accountingpodcast.promo/onpay Relay - http://accountingpodcast.promo/relay Cloud Accountant Staffing - http://accountingpodcast.promo/cas
Chapters (00:00) - Welcome to The Accounting Podcast
(00:49) - Blake's Illness and Recovery
(02:05) - Upcoming Topics
(04:06) - Cost Segregation Explained
(06:46) - AI in Cost Segregation
(11:15) - AI's Current Capabilities and Limitations
(19:10) - Intuit's OpenAI Deal
(22:01) - Intuit's Strategy and Industry Implications
(30:12) - Michael Burry's New Bet Against AI
(31:21) - Depreciation and AI Companies
(39:15) - Rippling vs. Deel: Corporate Espionage
(42:44) - New Jersey's Alternative Pathways Bill
(44:39) - AI's Role in Tax and Investing Advice
(47:37) - Defining Audit Quality: PCOB's New Initiative
(51:56) - FASB's Costly Lease Standard
(56:13) - Ancient Accounting Systems in Peru
(58:45) - Conclusion and Viewer Interaction
Show Notes AI Is Now a First Stop for Tax and Investing Questions - CPAs Need a Playbook Fast https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/2025/10/29/ai-is-now-a-first-stop-for-tax-and-investing-questions-cpas-need-a-playbook-fast/171939/
19% lost $100 or more on bad AI financial advice https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/19-lost-100-or-more-on-bad-ai-financial-advice
Intuit to pay OpenAI over $100 million for model access, ChatGPT integrates with TurboTax https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/18/intuit-pays-openai-100-million-turbotax-integrates-chatgpt.html
Intuit Strikes $100M Deal to Bring TurboTax and QuickBooks Into ChatGPT https://www.eweek.com/news/intuit-100m-chatgpt-deal/
Intuit signs $100M+ deal with OpenAI to bring its apps to ChatGPT https://techcrunch.com/2025/11/18/intuit-signs-100m-deal-with-openai-to-bring-its-apps-to-chatgpt/
Intuit and OpenAI join forces on new AI-powered experiences https://openai.com/index/intuit-partnership/
'Big Short' investor Michael Burry accuses AI hyperscalers of artificially boosting earnings https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/11/big-short-investor-michael-burry-accuses-ai-hyperscalers-of-artificially-boosting-earnings.html
Michael Burry Hits Back At Critics: Accuses AI Companies Of 'Suspicious Revenue Recognition' And Depreciation Gimmicks: 'Fraud, Not A Flywheel' https://www.benzinga.com/markets/hedge-funds/25/11/48967194/michael-burry-hits-back-at-critics-accuses-ai-companies-of-suspicious-revenue-recognition-and-depreciation-gimmicks-fraud-not-a-flywheel
Fireside chat with PCAOB acting chair George Botic https://www.accountingtoday.com/opinion/fireside-chat-with-pcaob-acting-chair-george-botic
New Banking Records Prove Deel Paid Thief Who Stole Trade Secrets from Rippling https://www.rippling.com/blog/new-banking-records-prove-deel-paid-thief-who-stole-trade-secrets-from-rippling
Newly unsealed documents tie Deel to payments for alleged Rippling spy, while Deel points to witness incentives https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/h1ysgtng11l
FASB Says Certain Costs of Leases Standard Were Significantly Higher Than Expected https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/2025/11/20/fasb-says-certain-costs-of-lease-accounting-standard-were-significantly-higher-than-expected/173680/
FASB finds leases standard was costlier than expected https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/fasb-finds-leases-standard-was-costlier-than-expected
NJ's once-stalled CPA licensing bill advances after 'surprise' vote https://www.cfodive.com/news
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.