Blake and David dive into the concerning trend of small CPA firms conducting shoddy audits of large companies and SPACs, raking in big fees while facing minimal consequences for deficient work. They also discuss the latest accounting app funding news, the power of AI for crafting persuasive arguments, and the American Institute of CPAs' puzzling resistance to changes in CPA licensure requirements and touch on the growing importance of client accounting services for public accounting firms.Sponsors Cloud Accountant Staffing - http://accountingpodcast.promo/cas Uncat - http://accountingpodcast.promo/uncatEarmark - https://earmark.appChapters(00:38) - Blake is back from a conference in Atlanta (03:12) - The truth behind Trump's Truth Social SPAC audit (18:41) - AI startup Fieldguide secures $30 million in Series B funding (21:57) - FundGuard secures $100 million in Series C funding round (23:42) - BotKeeper launches BotKeeper Infinite (29:29) - Scientists find that AI is more persuasive than humans at changing people's opinions (37:41) - Formula 1 team using Excel to track car parts (39:34) - CAS is the fastest-growing service in Accounting Today's annual survey (41:34) - The AICPA warns about losing the 150-hour rule (48:46) - Send us an email and remember you can earn FREE CPE for listening to this podcast!  Show NotesFieldguide Raises $30 Million to Combat CPA Shortage With AIhttps://www.pymnts.com/news/investment-tracker/2024/fieldguide-raises-30-million-to-combat-cpa-shortage-with-ai/AI accounting startup raises $100Mhttps://www.accountingtoday.com/articles/ai-accounting-startup-fundguard-raises-100m-in-new-fundsOn the Conversational Persuasiveness of Large Language Models: A Randomized Controlled Trial (PDF) https://arxiv.org/pdf/2403.14380.pdf?utm_source=www.therundown.ai&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=nvidia-s-new-ai-chip-competitor The year CAS took overhttps://www.accountingtoday.com/opinion/the-year-cas-took-over-accountingNeed CPE?Get CPE for listening to podcasts with Earmark: https://earmarkcpe.comSubscribe to the Earmark Podcast: https://podcast.earmarkcpe.comGet in TouchThanks 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.SponsorshipsAre you inter