ATL264

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ATL264: AICPA ENGAGE 2026 and Thought Leader / 40 Under 40 Mashup

Released: June 26, 2026

Recorded: June 15, 2026

Overview

ATL264 is a fast-paced, conference-season “news” episode from the Accounting Technology Lab, recapping the AICPA ENGAGE 2026 Tech+ channel and the CPA Practice Advisor Thought Leader/40 Under 40 mashup in Las Vegas.[1] The episode features hosts Randy Johnston and Brian Tankersley sharing key takeaways on AI, the Rise 2040 vision project, associations, private equity, and technology adoption in the accounting profession.[1]

Episode Summary (≈200 words)

Randy Johnston and Brian Tankersley record on-site in Las Vegas to debrief a packed week around AICPA ENGAGE 2026 and the annual Thought Leader/40 Under 40 mashup. They open with the Rise 2040 vision project, highlighting mega-trends like the profession’s “great identity shift”, AI as a strategic force multiplier, globalization, and the emerging “trust paradox” created by artificial intelligence.[1] The hosts describe intense roundtable discussions among young tech-enabled CPAs and seasoned thought leaders on associations, evolving business models, and how state societies must reimagine member engagement in a digital, AI-driven world.[1]

The conversation then tackles AI and private equity—“AIPE”—and how late-career partners, unfunded buyouts, and underinvestment in technology are driving firms toward PE ownership and forced modernization.[1] They explore return-to-office realities, cybersecurity and AI-powered threats, including federal actions around advanced AI models, and the profession’s persistent self-confidence gap with technology.[1] Randy shares ENGAGE highlights, including his 40th year speaking, a standing-room-only Tech Update and AI prompting session, and a 200‑vendor exhibit hall featuring every major publisher and cloud platform.[1] They close with reflections on AI’s ubiquity at ENGAGE, main-stage guests such as Ryan Reynolds and Costco’s former CFO, and why networking at these events still moves the profession forward.[1]

Quotable Soundbites

The following quotations are drawn from the episode and include approximate time locations within the audio.

  1. “If you don’t adopt the new technology, you’re going to end up where the people that smoke cigarettes with their 10-keys at their desk and have five- and seven-column paper are right now—which is not a good place.” (≈ 3:45–4:10)[1]
  2. “AI has created this trust paradox; it actually creates the need for more trust instead of less—and we’re in the trust business.” (≈ 3:30–3:55)[1]
  3. “Everywhere you turn now it’s AI discussion—often gratuitous AI discussion—and I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there’s a frantic response from many people.” (≈ 6:40–7:25)[1]
  4. “There are a lot of partners who delayed retirement during the pandemic, and now their buyouts are unfundable—so they’re going to private equity for the cash, and PE is saying, ‘Fine, but we’re forcing technology into your firm.’” (≈ 7:45–9:00)[1]
  5. “You could just see the eyes light up across the room when we showed that a single Copilot could talk to Claude, OpenAI, and Microsoft 365—and keep all that proprietary data out of training.” (≈ 15:20–16:15)[1]
  6. “Tech is being de‑emphasized in the branding, but it lives everywhere at ENGAGE—and AI was pretty much everywhere this year.” (≈ 18:20–19:10)[1]
  7. “The rumor that I’m retiring is greatly exaggerated—I at least want to see AI running on quantum computers before I think about stopping.” (≈ 12:10–12:35)[1]

Social Media Promotion Ideas

The following short promotional texts are intended for use on social media to promote the episode.

  1. “AI isn’t killing trust in the profession—it’s increasing the demand for it. Hear how ENGAGE 2026 framed AI as a strategic force multiplier in ATL264.”[1]
  2. “Still clinging to 10-keys and seven-column paper? ATL264 explains why firms that don’t modernize are heading to the same museum as cigarette-smoke-filled write-up rooms.”[1]
  3. “Rise 2040 is the new long-range vision for the profession—identity shifts, globalization, AI, and the ‘trust paradox’ all in one roadmap. Get the field report from Las Vegas in ATL264.”[1]
  4. “From Thought Leader Think Tank to 40 Under 40 mashup: we sat in on the cross‑generational debates about AI, PE, and the future of firms. Catch the full debrief in ATL264.”[1]
  5. “Is ‘AIPE’ the new four-letter word? Randy and Brian unpack how AI and private equity are reshaping firm ownership, culture, and tech adoption in ATL264.”[1]
  6. “Late‑career partners, unfunded buyouts, and forced tech upgrades: we dig into why so many firms are suddenly flirting with private equity in ATL264.”[1]
  7. “Associations and state societies are being forced to reimagine member engagement in an AI-first world. Hear what young pros and thought leaders told us in Vegas on ATL264.”[1]
  8. “Return-to-office isn’t one-size-fits-all: from hybrid ‘middle three days’ to fully virtual, ATL264 shares what firms are actually doing post-pandemic.”[1]
  9. “Cybersecurity plus AI: we revisit Claude Mythos, fable being classified under ITAR, and why AI-driven threats are accelerating. ATL264 connects the dots.”[1]
  10. “Standing-room-only Tech Update. 900+ for AI prompting. 200 vendors on the floor. ATL264 walks you through the tech pulse of AICPA ENGAGE 2026.”[1]
  11. “Many attendees had never seen Copilot wired to multiple LLMs—with indemnification and data protections intact. ATL264 breaks down why that demo changed minds.”[1]
  12. “ENGAGE 2026 had 6000+ attendees with a goal of 10,000—yet tech is still the quiet backbone of every track. Hear why in ATL264.”[1]
  13. “From Ryan Reynolds to Costco’s former CFO, the ENGAGE main stage brought star power—but AI, data, and trust were the real headliners. Dive deeper in ATL264.”[1]
  14. “The profession has a self-confidence problem with technology. ATL264 explores why many CPAs would rather talk about vacations than their tech stack—and how to change that.”[1]
  15. “Quantum dreams: Randy sets the record straight on ‘retirement rumors’ and explains why he wants to see AI running on quantum before he thinks it’s time to hang it up. Hear it on ATL264.”[1]
  16. “Thought Leader/40 Under 40 mashup: one room, multiple generations, and a whiteboard full of ideas on AI, trust, and the profession’s identity. ATL264 takes you inside.”[1]
  17. “From camera kits and green screens to fewer flights, ATL264 shares how content creators in the profession have reinvented their model post‑pandemic.”[1]
  18. “State societies built on in‑person contact are wrestling with digital-first members and AI-enabled learning. ATL264 surfaces what leaders are actually worried about.”[1]
  19. “AI frenzy or rational evolution? ATL264 parses the hype from the hard trends coming out of ENGAGE and the Rise 2040 project.”[1]
  20. “If you missed Las Vegas, ATL264 is your highlight reel for AICPA ENGAGE 2026 and the Thought Leader mashup—complete with tech, talent, and a little ‘Viva Las Vegas.’”[1]

Organizations and Companies Mentioned

This section lists the products, services, and companies referenced in the episode, along with commonly used social media accounts.

Organization / Product Description (episode context) X (Twitter) Facebook LinkedIn Instagram
AICPA ENGAGE / AICPA & CIMA Flagship conference and vision projects (Rise 2040, Tech+, town hall, ENGAGE 2026). @AICPA facebook.com/AICPA linkedin.com/company/aicpa @aicpa_ima
CPA Practice Advisor Publisher of Accounting Technology Lab and the 40 Under 40 program. @CPAAdvisor facebook.com/CPAPracticeAdvisor linkedin.com/company/cpa-practice-advisor @cpapracticeadvisor
Rightworks Sponsor of the Thought Leader / 40 Under 40 mashup; owner of CPA Practice Advisor. @Rightworks facebook.com/Rightworks linkedin.com/company/rightworks @rightworkscloud
K2 Enterprises (K2) Technology training and CPE provider associated with the hosts’ engagements. @K2Enterprises facebook.com/K2Enterprises linkedin.com/company/k2-enterprises @k2enterprises
Microsoft Copilot Demonstrated as a multi-LLM Copilot for Claude/OpenAI in Microsoft 365 with indemnification and data protections. @Microsoft365 facebook.com/Microsoft linkedin.com/showcase/microsoft-365 @microsoft365
Anthropic / Claude AI platform referenced via Claude and Claude Code workshops and AI model discussions. @AnthropicAI facebook.com/AnthropicAI linkedin.com/company/anthropic @anthropicai
Wolters Kluwer Major tax and accounting publisher exhibiting at ENGAGE. @Wolters_Kluwer facebook.com/wolterskluwer linkedin.com/company/wolters-kluwer @wolters_kluwer
Thomson Reuters Major tax and accounting vendor on the ENGAGE exhibit floor. @TRTaxAccountng facebook.com/ThomsonReuters linkedin.com/company/thomson-reuters @thomsonreuters
Intuit Key accounting technology vendor (e.g., QuickBooks) present at ENGAGE. @IntuitAcctg facebook.com/Intuit linkedin.com/company/intuit @intuit
Xero Cloud accounting platform exhibiting at ENGAGE. @Xero facebook.com/Xero.Accounting linkedin.com/company/xero @xero
Costco Referenced via the retired CFO who appeared on the ENGAGE main stage. @Costco facebook.com/Costco linkedin.com/company/costco-wholesale @costco
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