Progression or Extinction: AI’s Accounting Reckoning

What if AI wipes out the entry-level accounting work firms have relied on for decades? Blake Oliver talks with Sikich managing principal Richard Lynch about the rise of the “super accountant,” why the pyramid-shaped firm may become a diamond, and how AI could force firms to rethink training, billing, and performance metrics. You’ll hear what firm leaders must change now—and what happens to those who don’t adapt.

Chapters

(00:00) - EAP 112

(07:41) - Training The Next Gen

(09:39) - Rethinking Early Career Work

(14:17) - Learning Review Without Doing

(18:41) - Automated Tax Prep Reality

(21:28) - Billable Hour Under Pressure

(26:33) - Why Timesheets Persist

(28:21) - Why Hours Persist

(29:53) - Timesheets Trust and Control

(30:53) - Preventing Burnout with Targets