AI Beat 12 Accountants at Month-End Close. Read the Fine Print
Knowledge Snapshot Mercor published a study on October 1, 2026, comparing 12 licensed CPAs with frontier AI models on four simplified month-end close tasks. The participating CPAs averaged 5.4 years of experience. The human participants completed the work without AI assistance. On Mercor’s grading criteria, the accountants averaged approximately 37%. Claude Opus 5 scored 100% […]
Is College Still Worth the Money? What the Numbers Say
Knowledge Snapshot 31% of U.S. adults said a college education was “very important” in Gallup’s August 2026 poll, a record low since the question began in 1978. The share saying college is “very important” has fallen from 70% in 2013. Meanwhile, 29% now say it is “not too important,” compared with 6% in 2013. For […]
Is Gen Z Climbing the Wrong Career Ladder? Why the Skilled Trades May Offer a Faster Way Up
For years, young adults heard the same advice: get a four-year degree, land an office job, and climb. But the ladder they were told to climb is getting crowded at the top. Many baby boomers and Gen X workers are staying on the job longer, and research from Italy shows that when senior workers delay […]