Blake and David examine Bench's bankruptcy filing, revealing fascinating details about their spending patterns and challenges with the business model. They also explore venture capital's growing interest in accounting firms, particularly focusing on AI automation claims and their potential impact on the profession, and there's a lively discussion about JP Morgan's controversial return-to-office mandate and its implications for workplace flexibility, sparked by Blake's viral tweet that garnered nearly 5 million views.

Sponsors
TaxBandits - http://accountingpodcast.promo/taxbandits
Relay - http://accountingpodcast.promo/relay
BoomTax - http://accountingpodcast.promo/boomtax
Basil - http://accountingpodcast.promo/basil

Chapters

(01:23) - Bench Accounting Bankruptcy Deep Dive
(02:17) - Venture Capital's Interest in Accounting
(02:42) - JP Morgan's Return to Office Policy
(04:04) - Continuing Professional Education Credits
(05:05) - Bench Bankruptcy Filing Details
(05:50) - Bench's Financial Breakdown
(07:42) - Bench's Customer Acquisition Strategy
(10:55) - Bench's Development and Management Costs
(13:17) - Operations and Outsourcing at Bench
(16:07) - Service Delivery and Refunds
(19:47) - Venture Capital and AI in Accounting
(29:16) - Relay: The Small Business Bank
(35:28) - AI-Powered Bookkeeping: A New Frontier
(36:44) - Debating the Future of Software Costs
(41:14) - AI's Impact on Job Markets
(45:15) - Challenges in Replacing Human Jobs with AI
(50:57) - The Remote Work Debate
(01:02:05) - Corporate Accountability and Legal Issues
(01:12:03) - Closing Remarks and Future Topics

Show Notes

AI Has Venture Investors Excited About (Yes) Accounting Firms

https://www.wsj.com/articles/ai-has-venture-investors-excited-about-yes-accounting-firms-3b9b3226

Bench Accounting, Inc. and 10Sheet Services, Inc.
https://www.ksvadvisory.com/experience/case/bench

JPMorgan tells all its employees they must return to office full-time

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/jpmorgan-tells-employees-must-return-140000800.html

Work From Home Policies and Practices

https://pearlmeyer.com/insights-and-research/research-report/work-from-home-policies-and-practices

Workplace Policies and Pay Transparency

https://pearlmeyer.com/insights-and-research/research-report/workplace-policies-and-pay-transparency

H&R Block Agrees to $7M FTC Settlement and Will Make Downgrading Tax Tiers Easier

https://www.cnet.com/personal-finance/taxes/h-r-block-agrees-to-7m-ftc-settlement-and-will-make-downgrading-tax-tiers-easier/

Capital One sued by CFPB over alleged deception on savings account interest rates

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/personalfinance/capital-one-sued-by-cfpb-over-alleged-deception-on-savings-account-interest-rates/ar-BB1rr4nY

Imposing a $500,000 Fine, PCAOB Sanctions Baker Tilly US, LLP for Quality Control Violations

https://pcaobus.org/news-events/news-releases/news-release-detail/imposing-a--500-000-fine--pcaob-sanctions-baker-tilly-us--llp-for-quality-control-violations

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 Cloud 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

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

JPMorgan's RTO Drama, VC Love for Accounting and the Fall of Bench

The Accounting Podcast