The Accounting Podcast

What happens when AI starts cutting audit bills? Blake and David unpack KPMG’s push for a 14% fee cut from Grant Thornton, Botkeeper’s shutdown versus Pilot’s “AI accountant,” and how agents like Claude are already doing real client work. You’ll hear why entry-level roles are vanishing, what tax pros need to know about the IRS’s new e-payment push and Tax Pro Account upgrades, plus a fun detour: DJ John Summit’s Tax Day album.


Chapters

• (00:00) - KPMG's AI-Driven Audit Fee Reduction
• (00:28) - Welcome to the Accounting Podcast
• (00:53) - Blake's First Time at the Waste Management Open
• (02:00) - John Summit: From Accountant to DJ Superstar
• (04:39) - John Summit's Accounting-Themed Album
• (09:44) - Earmark CPE: Easy CPE Credits for Accountants
• (12:34) - The Rise and Fall of AI Bookkeeping Startups
• (24:48) - Pilot's Autonomous AI Accountant
• (26:50) - Partnering with Accounting Firms
• (29:59) - AI in Bookkeeping and Accounting
• (33:33) - Impact of AI on Accounting Jobs
• (40:27) - Trump's $10 Billion Lawsuit Against the IRS
• (44:40) - IRS Updates and Tax Pro Accounts
• (49:53) - KPMG's AI Acquisition
• (51:14) - Airlines Save Millions with Weight Loss Drugs
• (52:58) - Conclusion and CPE Information

 

KPMG pressed its auditor to pass on AI cost savings
https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2026/02/06/kpmg-pressed-its-auditor-to-pass-on-ai-cost-savings/

Botkeeper is Closing Its Doors
https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/2026/02/09/botkeeper-is-closing-its-doors/177677/

Botkeeper shuts down
https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/botkeeper-shuts-down

Anthropic AI Tool Sparks Selloff From Software to Broader Market
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-03/legal-software-stocks-plunge-as-anthropic-releases-new-ai-tool

AI fears pummel software stocks: Is it 'illogical' panic or a SaaS apocalypse?
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/06/ai-anthropic-tools-saas-software-stocks-selloff.html

Pilot launches fully autonomous AI bookkeeper
https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/pilot-launches-fully-autonomous-ai-bookkeeper

Pilot Rolls Out Fully Autonomous AI Accountant
https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/2026/02/04/pilot-rolls-out-fully-autonomous-ai-accountant/177453/

Pilot Unveils AI Accountant
https://pilot.com/blog/pilot-unveils-ai-accountant-a-major-leap-toward-artificial-general-intelligence-in-accounting

Startup Accrual Officially Launches with $75M in Funding to Bring AI-Native Automation to Accounting
https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/2026/02/05/startup-accrual-officially-launches-with-75m-in-funding-to-bring-ai-native-automation-to-accounting/177600/

Tax platform Accrual launches with AI automation support for all forms
https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/tax-platform-accrual-launches-with-ai-automation-support-for-all-forms

Accrual Launches with $75 Million to Bring AI-Native Automation to Accounting
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260205968515/en/Accrual-Launches-with-$75-Million-to-Bring-AI-Native-Automation-to-Accounting

Goldman Sachs leads $75 million funding round for Fieldguide, an AI-native accounting and audit platform
https://fortune.com/2026/02/02/goldman-sachs-fieldguide-accounting-cpa-ai-software-platform-venture-capital/

Fieldguide Raises $75M Series C Round to Boost Audit and Advisory Firms' Agentic AI Capabilities
https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/2026/02/02/fieldguide-raises-75m-series-c-round-to-boost-audit-and-advisory-firms-agentic-ai-capabilities/177323/

Fieldguide Raises $75M Series C from Goldman Sachs to Help Audit and Advisory Firms Grow with Agentic AI
https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/02/04/3232133/0/en/Pilot-Unveils-AI-Accountant-A-Major-Leap-Toward-Artificial-General-Intelligence-in-Accounting.html

Trump, two sons, Trump Org sue IRS, Treasury for $10 billion over tax records leak
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/29/trump-sues-irs-and-treasury-for-10-billion-over-leak-of-tax-records.html

Trump sues IRS and Treasury Department for $10 billion over leaked tax records
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-sues-irs-treasury-department-10-billion-leaked-tax-records-rcna256626

Trump Sues Treasury and IRS for $10 Billion Over Tax Data Leak
https://www.taxnotes.com/featured-news/trump-sues-treasury-and-irs-10-billion-over-tax-data-leak/2026/01/30/7txmz

KPMG Brings Aboard AI Development Platform PrivateBlok
https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/2026/02/09/kpmg-adds-ai-development-platform-privateblok/177729/

KPMG acquires PrivateBlok, team will support AI developments
https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/kpmg-acquires-privateblok-team-will-support-ai-developments

KPMG Bolsters AI Product Development Function by Welcoming PrivateBlok Agentic AI Team
https://kpmg.com/us/en/media/news/privateblok-agentic-ai.html

John Summit - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Summit

John Summit announces sophomore album CTRL ESCAPE
https://exronmusic.com/2026/02/08/john-summit-announces-ctrl-escape-album/

John Summit to Release New Album 'CTRL ESCAPE' in April 2026
https://edm.com/news/john-summit-announces-new-album-ctrl-escape-release-date/

Weight loss drugs could save airlines money on fuel as Americans slim down
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/weight-loss-drugs-glp1s-airlines-fuel-costs/

The surprising windfall that airlines could reap from weight-loss drugs
https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2026/01/21/weight-loss-drugs-airlines-fuel-savings/

Airlines have 580 million reasons to like GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, analysis finds
https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/airlines-have-580-million-reasons-like-glp-1-weight-loss-drugs-analysis-finds

IRS announces next expansion of Tax Pro Account to support tax professional businesses
https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-announces-next-expansion-of-tax-pro-account-to-support-tax-professional-businesses

IRS broadens Tax Pro Account for accounting firms and others
https://www.thetaxadviser.com/news/2026/feb/irs-broadens-tax-pro-account-for-accounting-firms-and-others/

IRS expands Tax Pro Accounts
https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/irs-expands-tax-pro-accounts

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