KKR, Baker Tilly, and the Wealth Transfer Nobody's Talking About | Ep. 15

KKR just invested in Crowe. Baker Tilly acquired Anchin — a 103-year-old New York firm. And a new Gartner survey says 56% of CFOs have brought in AI, but only 7% are getting an ROI on it. These aren't separate stories. They're the same one. And the question nobody's asking out loud is: who does any of this actually benefit — and what happens to the individual accountant? Paul Peterson is CEO of Wiss and Matt Barbieri is Technology Practice Partner at Wiss. Together they run an AI-optimized accounting and advisory firm and have a front-row seat to how PE consolidation and AI adoption are colliding inside the profession right now. In this episode: Why only 7% of CFOs report AI ROI — and why the measurement itself is the problem Speed to close vs. speed to information — what finance leaders should actually be tracking Real-time books and in-game decision-making — the coaching analogy every CFO needs to hear Anchin, Baker Tilly, KKR, and Crowe — what this week's PE news really means The wealth transfer nobody names clearly: who gets the cash and who's left behind Why PE ownership removes agency from individual accountants — and what that costs the profession The disappearing career path: what "linear" meant before, and what replaces it The underground resistance to AI adoption — and the silo mentality fueling it How AI adoption actually spreads inside a firm (a live AR reconciliation example) Hourly billing vs. value-based pricing — the perverse incentive blocking AI ROI Chapters: 00:00 Intro: Gartner data — 56% of CFOs adopted AI, only 7% see ROI 01:18 Breaking down the numbers: what were the other 44% doing? 03:00 How do you even measure AI ROI? The question before the question 04:13 Speed to close is the wrong metric — what finance leaders should track instead 07:55 Think like a coach: how CFOs should be framing AI for their teams 10:06 Why some people are rooting for AI to fail 13:35 PE news: Anchin acquired by Baker Tilly, KKR invests in Crowe 15:00 What the press release says vs. what's actually happening 17:00 The real truth behind PE deals — a financial model thesis, plainly stated 18:51 The wealth transfer nobody's talking about 20:02 What PE ownership does to the individual accountant's career path 21:50 Transactional vs. relational — the question defining the profession right now 24:13 How AI adoption actually spreads inside a firm 26:00 The three things every organization needs to make AI stick 26:52 The brute force trap: why accountants don't have time to learn AI 28:54 Hourly billing kills AI ROI — the pricing model that has to change 30:02 PE consolidation will keep going — and here's why it has to 31:15 2028: when AI becomes truly embedded in accounting About This Week in Accounting AI: This Week in Accounting AI is hosted by Paul Peterson, CEO of Wiss, and Matt Barbieri, Technology Practice Partner at Wiss. Each week, Paul and Matt share unfiltered insights from the front lines of AI adoption inside a public accounting and advisory firm, covering tools, trends, organizational change, and the realities of building an AI-optimized firm. About Wiss: Wiss is an accounting and advisory firm headquartered in New York City and Florham Park, NJ, serving clients across tax, assurance, advisory, real estate, construction, CPG, not-for-profit, wealth management, and manufacturing. 🔔 Subscribe for new episodes every week 💼 Learn more about Wiss: https://wiss.com/ 🧪 Learn more about Wiss Labs: https://wiss.com/wisslabs/ 🎙️ Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts #AccountingAI #CFO #PrivateEquity #CPA #Accounting #FinanceLeaders #AIinAccounting #ThisWeekinAccountingAI