But when things feel overwhelming it’s good to remember the future is a direction, not a destination. And we get to shape that direction. This isn’t an inspirational slogan, it’s how the PICPA operates every day. We are not waiting for the future to happen to us; we are building it, advocating for it, and preparing you for it.
There are four major forces of disruption that the PICPA is tracking closely, and we are responding to each one on your behalf.
The very definition of what a CPA firm is and who owns it is being rewritten.
Traditional partnerships can’t always generate the funds needed to keep pace with technology, talent, and scale, so capital is coming into the profession from new sources. Private equity, venture funding, and other alternative ownership structures are creating complexity around ownership, independence, and identity that our regulatory frameworks weren’t built for.
The changing structures aren’t just because of internal investments. The reality is that clients’ needs are more complex, and firm structures have evolved to meet that complexity. Whether a firm is funded by outside capital or fiercely independent, the metrics that used to define success are shifting. Everyone needs to understand these forces just to keep up.
The PICPA is at the table nationally, advocating on the regulation of firms and independence standards. We submitted a comprehensive response to the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy’s call for comment on private equity ownership. We’re also supporting firms as they navigate business model transformation because this isn’t a challenge anyone should face alone.
The consolidation of accounting practices is creating platform firms with technology at their core. What’s truly game-changing, though, is what’s happening behind the scenes. Major AI companies are deploying engineers into firms to build custom solutions, then they use the firm platforms to deploy AI enabled tools and workflows at scale across the profession. This is enterprise-scale adoption happening faster than any traditional sales channel could achieve.
It applies to firms of every size, not just the megafirms. The organization chart has become the real deployment environment for AI – tools and processes may change faster than any of us expect. Firms that are “in the loop” will see accelerating growth and profitability, while a gap widens for those on the outside. Regardless of your firm’s position on taking outside capital, this is the changing landscape for everyone in the profession.
PICPA’s efforts are twofold. First, we’re delivering thought leadership to help you understand these shifts. Second – and I’m particularly excited about this – our investment in XcelLabs and the launch of Navi, an AI-powered performance coach, is about making the human CPA more successful in the age of AI. We’re making sure technology makes you better, not replace you.
Continuing to treat learning as a compliance checkbox won’t get us where we need to go or successfully carry us into the future.
The profession is facing a pipeline gap that’s becoming unmanageable. New graduates aren’t practice-ready. Academic curricula can’t keep pace with how fast the profession is evolving. But here’s a harder truth: reskilling midcareer professionals is just as urgent, and most organizations don’t know how to do it. Traditional CPE wasn’t designed for strategic capability building; it was designed for compliance hours. The profession needs a learning model that helps people become proficient faster, not just compliant. That's exactly what we're building.
The PICPA recently launched CPAx Academy, a platform that delivers a more personalized and efficient CPE experience. Instead of navigating a one-size-fits-all catalog, professionals receive relevant course recommendations and firms gain centralized tracking and reporting. Please reach out to Ben Brashear to learn more about CPAx Academy.
Meanwhile, the Pennsylvania CPA Foundation is working to bridge the skills gap between college graduation and employment. We’re investing in the full lifecycle of a CPA’s career, from the classroom to the C-suite.
This is the disruptor that keeps me up at night – and the one that should fire you up the most. The relevance of the CPA, both the practitioner and the license, is being challenged from multiple directions.
There are real threats to deregulate our profession, but that pressure also creates space. Space to reestablish what makes CPAs essential. Space to redefine our value in a world where AI can crunch the numbers but can’t deliver trust.
That’s the opportunity. Humans deliver trust. The future belongs to CPAs who position themselves as stewards of trust and interpreters of complexity in an AI-driven world. That is a powerful value proposition, if we claim it.
The bottom line is this: either we define the relevance of the CPA or someone else will define it for us. The PICPA chooses to lead. Where relevance is emerging, we scale it through advocacy, equipping you with the right tools and skills, and amplifying the evolving role CPAs play in our economy.
These above four disruptors – the changing firm, big tech inside the profession, the need for a new learning model, and the fight for CPA relevance – are not threats to fear. They are invitations to lead, and the PICPA answers that call every day.
We are advocating for you in Harrisburg and Washington. We are investing in AI tools that make you more effective. We are reimagining how you learn and grow, and we are fighting to ensure the CPA credential remains the gold standard of trust in business.
The future is a direction, not a destination. The PICPA is helping to shape that direction, and, together, we will lead through change.
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