Intuit's workforce restructuring and a major Big Four AI commitment headline this edition, alongside a cautionary tale from Starbucks on what happens when AI tools fail to deliver.
1. EY and Microsoft commit $1 billion to enterprise AI initiative EY and Microsoft announced a $1 billion global initiative to accelerate enterprise AI adoption. The partnership targets AI deployment across EY's client services, including tax and audit. No breakdown of the investment allocation was disclosed. CPA Practice Advisor -> Read more
2. Intuit cuts 3,000 jobs, says AI is not the cause Intuit announced layoffs affecting approximately 3,000 employees. The company stated the cuts are not driven by AI replacing workers, framing them as a workforce reallocation toward higher-priority areas. The reduction represents roughly 17% of its global headcount. CPA Practice Advisor -> Read more
3. Intuit phases out ProAdvisor program, launches ProPartner Accountants Intuit will retire its ProAdvisor certification program next year and replace it with a new ProPartner Accountants program. Details on certification requirements and partner benefits under the new structure were not disclosed. CPA Practice Advisor -> Read more
4. Starbucks scraps AI inventory tool after nine months Starbucks shut down an AI-powered automated counting tool less than a year after deployment, citing poor performance. The case is a useful reference point for firms evaluating purpose-built AI tools: adoption speed does not equal reliability. Going Concern -> Read more
5. Most mid-market firms use generative AI, few are ready to scale A new survey found 94% of mid-market companies report using generative AI, but most lack the data infrastructure and governance frameworks needed to scale. Accounting and finance functions are cited as early adopters within these organizations. CPA Practice Advisor -> Read more
Next edition: Tuesday, June 2.