Today, Blake and David explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping accounting, discussing its potential to handle 70% of information-based tasks and impact workflows like data collection, reconciliation, and client services. They criticize the current theoretical approach to accounting education, advocating for more practical, hands-on learning experiences. They also dig into the ongoing 150-hour rule debate, examining recent state board initiatives for alternative CPA pathways and concerns about the accounting talent pipeline. Blake and David tackle the recent Evolve cybersecurity breach and its implications for fintech companies and move on to listener feedback and questions. SponsorsLiveFlow - http://accountingpodcast.promo/liveflow Relay - http://accountingpodcast.promo/relayMakersHub - http://accountingpodcast.promo/makershub Genwise - http://accountingpodcast.promo/genwise Chapters(02:40) - Vacation Plans and Quiet Vacationing (07:45) - Generative AI in Accounting (10:37) - Challenges and Opportunities in AI Adoption (18:38) - CPA Firm Dynamics and Partner Retirement (28:58) - Survey Insights and Alternative Pathways to CPA (33:05) - Arkansaw State Board of Accountancy Pursuing Alternative Pathways to CPA (34:19) - Blake and David Look at the California CPA License Survey (37:29) - Addressing Concerns About CPA Mobility (38:10) - Survey Reflections and Critique (42:38) - Listener Mail: Nebraska's CPA Changes (43:55) - The Practicality of Accounting Education (01:00:38) - Evolve Bank Cyber Attack (01:06:35) - Closing Thoughts and 4th of July Message   Show Notes Millennials call it ‘quiet vacationing,’ but it’s really remote work gone wrong—and it’s CEOs’ worst nightmare https://fortune.com/2024/05/23/quiet-vacation-millennials-gen-z-harris-poll-remote-work   Death, Taxes, and AI: How Generative AI Will Change Accounting https://a16z.com/generative-ai-in-accounting/   Tech lag named top risk for accountants in 2024 Intuit QuickBooks survey https://quickbooks.intuit.com/r/news/accountant-tech-survey-results/   Finding Qualified Staff Is the Top Issue Facing Most CPA Firms In 2024 https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/2024/06/07/finding-qualified-staff-is-the-top-issue-facing-most-cpa-firms-in-2024/106519/   Help! A Partner Wants to Retire Early https://cpatrendlines.com/2024/04/24/help-a-partner-wants-to-retire-really-early/   Arkansas State Board of Public Accountancy – Proposed Rule Changes https://www.labor.arkansas.gov/licensing/state-board-of-public-accountancy/proposed-rule-changes/   California Board of Accountancy  https://www.dca.ca.gov/cba/   California Board of Accountancy’s LinkedIn Post on CPA Next Survey https://www.linkedin.com/posts/cbanews_we-want-to-hear-from-you-this-weekend-is-activity-7212584294232285184-25sa   CPA Candidates Approved To Sit At 120 Hours Starting 1/1/2025 https://nebraska-cpa.thenewslinkgroup.org/cpa-candidates-approved-to-sit-at-120-hours-starting-1-1-2025/   Evolve Hit With Fed Enforcement Action, But Why Did It Take This Long? https://substack.com/home/post/p-145886596   Cybersecurity Incident https://www.getevolved.com/about/news/cybersecurity-incident/   Yieldstreet says some of its customers were affected by the Evolve Bank data breach https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/02/yieldstreet-says-some-of-its-customers-were-affected-by-the-evolve-bank-data-breach/ Need CPE? Get CPE for listening to podcasts with Earmark: https://earmarkcpe.comSubscribe 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 pros