About this episode
Blake and David explore the controversial H-1B visa program's impact on the accounting profession, particularly how firms like Deloitte reportedly pay visa holders 10% less than U.S. workers and the potential implications for audit quality. They also examine Bench's sudden shutdown and subsequent acquisition and then discuss Barry Melancon's farewell interview with the Financial Times as he steps down as AICPA CEO, where he defended the 150-hour rule, his legacy, and his impact on the profession. Sponsors OnPay - http://accountingpodcast.promo/onpay BoomTax - http://accountingpodcast.promo/boomtax TaxBandits - http://accountingpodcast.promo/taxbandits Basil - http://accountingpodcast.promo/basil Chapters (05:01) - Sponsors and H1B Visa Discussion (11:14) - H1B Visa Impact on Accounting (26:53) - Bench Accounting Shutdown (45:17) - VCs and the Tough Decisions (47:42) - Challenges in Automating Bank Transactions (48:58) - H1B Visa Workers and Financial Misconduct (52:19) - Predictions for 2025 and Beyond (58:12) - Private Equity's Impact on Accounting Firms (01:08:15) - Barry Melanson's Legacy and the Future of CPA (01:15:23) - Conclusion and CPE Credits (01:16:45) - Bitcoin and Quantum Computing Show Notes Robert Sterling – Twitter - H-1B DATA MEGA-THREAD https://x.com/RobertMSterling/status/1873174358535110953 Deloitte employees with H-1B visas were paid 10% less than US workers, report finds https://www.hrdive.com/news/deloitte-employees-with-h-1b-visas-were-paid-10-less-than-us-workers/735162/ Bench to be acquired after abruptly shutting down https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/30/bench-to-be-acquired-after-abruptly-shutting-down/ ‘Most important man in accounting’ warns against lowering standards https://www.ft.com/content/033792af-18e4-4d69-92f9-5b78b01f2012 Meet Willow, our state-of-the-art quantum chip https://blog.google/technology/research/google-willow-quantum-chip/ 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