AI Reveals Weak Firms Faster than It Helps Strong Ones | Accounting Voices

The Big Four pull ahead by treating AI as a system, not a shortcut.

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Accounting Voices
With Rob Brown

Artificial intelligence is no longer a side project in accounting. It is the main event.

The largest firms are moving aggressively, clients are asking sharper questions, and expectations around speed, accuracy, and insight continue to rise. In the latest episode of Accounting Voices, the focus shifts past headlines and hype to examine what the Big Four are actually doing with AI—and why their moves matter far beyond the global giants.

Brown does not chase flashy demos or speculative tech. Instead, he breaks down how AI is being operationalized in audit, tax, and advisory work—and how firms without billion-dollar budgets can compete by doing fewer things better.

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Outlook 2026: AI, Not Layoffs, Powers PE Valuations

How CPAs are using AI to boost EBITDA multiples.

Ilya and Victor Radzinski, TaxDome co-founders

By CPA Trendlines

Private equity investors are paying higher prices for CPA firms that deploy artificial intelligence to expand capacity, deepen professional benches, and systematize growth—rather than cut headcount.

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“If AI were about to replace accountants and advisors, private equity wouldn’t be pouring billions into the sector,” TaxDome founders Ilya and Victor Radzinsky say in a public letter to stakeholders.

As dealmaking accelerates into 2026, the shift helps explain why valuation multiples for accounting firms continue to rise even as automation spreads through tax, audit, and advisory workflows. Private equity sponsors and strategic consolidators have completed hundreds of acquisitions of CPA firms since 2020, often at valuation multiples that would have been rare a decade ago.

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The “LBD” of Tech: Simplicity & Standardization Still Win | It’s Not Just the Numbers

“If you don’t have accountability, you can never reach your ambition.” 

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It’s Not Just the Numbers
With Penny Breslin and Damien Greathead

For CPA Trendlines

If there’s one topic that never gets old in accounting, it’s technology. New apps promise smoother workflows, faster reconciliations, and smarter insights every year. Yet, despite all the innovation, many firms still struggle with the same problem: too many tools, too little strategy. 

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In the latest episode of It’s Not Just the Numbers, hosts Penny Breslin and Damien Greathead revisit a metaphor that’s as timeless as it is practical, the “little black dress” of technology. The conversation digs into what every firm owner should understand about building a tech stack that actually fits their ambition, not just their app wish list. 

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Five Questions to Ask about New Tech Tools

Businessman looking at question mark sketch on the wall
Be sure to loop in the people who will use them.

By Jody Grunden
Building the Virtual CFO Firm in the Cloud

Whether you purchase a one-time software license or pay for a tool on a subscription basis, the cost of software can add up quickly. It’s necessary to conduct a thorough analysis of any new software program before you decide to buy it, and you need to constantly evaluate the effectiveness of the tools you’re using.

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We have learned that we want to be sure we’re getting the most out of our software, that our tools remain the right fit for our needs and that they are cost-effective.
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