Episode Details

What does it mean when Big Four partners can be demoted—and AI still gets 1 in 5 accounting tasks wrong? Blake and David unpack KPMG’s audit partner cuts, EY and KPMG’s quiet partner demotions in the UK, PwC’s return-to-office push, and why firms like Decimal are rethinking tech-driven bookkeeping. They also debate AI’s limits in accounting, explore the future of CPE after a surprising Nasba warning, and explain what these shifts mean for accountants building their careers.

Sponsors
Cloud Accountant Staffing - http://accountingpodcast.promo/cas
OnPay - http://accountingpodcast.promo/onpay
Fishbowl - http://accountingpodcast.promo/fishbowl

• (00:00) - TAP 485
• (01:47) - Bookkeeping Market Shakeup
• (02:38) - Decimal Pivots to Franchising
• (05:31) - AI Accuracy Reality Check
• (07:57) - Inventory Counts Still Human
• (10:28) - H&R Block Goes Year Round
• (11:55) - AI CEO Experiments and Limits
• (16:34) - Earmark Sponsor and NASBA Letter
• (21:37) - Context and CPE Reform Debate
• (26:11) - CPE Checkbox Culture
• (28:11) - Fixing CPE With AI
• (32:07) - Live Chat and Teams CPE
• (34:37) - Sponsor OnPay Break
• (35:51) - Big Four Partner Cuts
• (41:27) - AI Predicts Misstatements
• (43:31) - Sponsor Fishbowl Break
• (44:55) - Where Accountants Are Missing
• (48:39) - 150 Hour Rule Changes
• (49:19) - Wrap Up and Thanks

Show Notes

The Best AI Model Still Fails 1 in 5 Accounting Tasks

https://www.cfo.com/news/the-best-ai-model-still-fails-1-in-5-accounting-tasks-Claude-Opus-OpenAI-GPT/818100/

DualEntry AI Accounting Benchmark (Claude Opus 4.7 Results)

https://www.dualentry.com/blog/claude-opus-4-7-accounting-ai-benchmark-results

The Least Glamorous Side of Accounting That Still Can't Be Automated

https://controllerscouncil.org/the-least-glamorous-side-of-accounting-that-still-cant-be-automated/

Decimal Sells Its Accounting Firm to Franchise the Operating System Behind It

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/decimal-sells-its-accounting-firm-to-franchise-the-operating-system-behind-it-302753690.html

Collective Acquires Open Ledger to Accelerate All-in-One Financial Solution for Solopreneurs

https://www.axios.com/pro/fintech-deals/2026/04/22/collective-open-ledger-acquisition

H&R Block Wants to Be More Than a Tax Company

https://fortune.com/article/hr-block-tax-year-round-financial-adviser-fintech-innovation/

An AI Agent Takes Over a Store and Orders Too Many Candles

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-23/an-ai-agent-takes-over-a-store-and-orders-too-many-candles-mobwrfw2

Customers Bank CEO Uses AI Clone on Earnings Call, Signs OpenAI Deal

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