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

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.

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(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

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Transcripts

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