Should your AI agent have the same bank access you do? Blake Oliver and David Leary unpack banks’ concerns about AI agents and explain why separate logins and limited permissions matter. They also explore practical email automation, Blake’s ballooning token costs, and why firm-wide AI gains require standardized workflows. Plus, they examine Oxford Economics’ warning that U.S. growth could look recessionary without AI investment—and what that means for the pressure to deliver real returns.
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Chapters- (00:00) - Recession With AI Boost
- (00:47) - TurboTax Storefront Mystery
- (04:37) - CCH Conference AI Preview
- (06:21) - Banks Block AI Agents
- (10:03) - Stripe Treasury Agents Rise
- (12:41) - Permissioned Access Fix
- (18:43) - Zapier MCP Lawyer Workflow
- (24:36) - Token Spend Spirals
- (28:13) - Shared AI Orchestration Layers
- (29:40) - AI Layer Missed
- (30:46) - Standardize vs Customize
- (35:03) - Memory Costs Tokens
- (37:17) - Inbox Automation Wins
- (40:01) - Scaling Past Demos
- (41:33) - Firm AI vs Personal
- (45:07) - PE Rollup AI Bet
- (50:32) - AI Native Firm Risks
- (51:16) - Recession Minus AI
- (54:47) - ROI Reality Check
- (57:25) - Chicago Head Tax
- (58:43) - Wrap Up and CPE
Show Notes
TurboTax Stores and Expert Offices in Santa Monica
https://turbotax.intuit.com/local-tax-offices/ca/santa-monica/
Banks Are Blocking External AI Agents. Is This Sustainable?
https://americanbanker.com/news/banks-are-blocking-external-ai-agents-is-this-sustainable
Introducing Stripe Treasury for Agents
https://stripe.com/newsroom/news/treasury-for-agents
Stripe Agrees to Acquire OpenRouter to Help Businesses Optimize Token Routing and Usage
https://stripe.com/newsroom/news/stripe-agrees-to-acquire-openrouter
What Happens to a Lawyer’s Business Model When AI Makes Him 5x Faster
https://zapier.com/blog/damian-guzman-fte-legal-mcp/
Introducing Glass
https://ramp.com/blog/introducing-glass
Meridian Launches Meridian Starter, a Shared AI Workspace for Accounting Firms
https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/10/20/3384755/0/en/meridian-launches-meridian-starter-a-shared-ai-workspace-for-accounting-firms.html
Platform Accounting Group Secures $355 Million Investment
https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/?p=192093
Exclusive: Gradient Raises $4M for AI-Native Startup Accounting Firm
https://techfundingnews.com/exclusive-gradient-raises-4m-ai-native-accounting-firm-us-startups/
Minus AI Investments, the US Edges Toward Recession
https://www.cfo.com/news/minus-ai-investments-the-us-edges-toward-recession/833461/
Mayor Johnson Renews Fight for His Failed Corporate Head Tax
https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2026/10/20/mayor-brandon-johnson-failed-corporate-head-tax-resurrected-proposed-budget
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Get in Touch
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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
