Inside a TPG-Backed Accounting Firm’s Plans for AI and More Acquisitions

Smith + Howard, an accounting firm backed by private equity giant TPG that has grown in part by snapping up smaller firms, is gearing up for a new round of acquisitions—including two that could close by the end of the year. As it grows, the firm is exploring how AI could handle basic work where there’s “a lot of lather, rinse, repeat,” CEO Sean Taylor said.

The firm is hoping AI will help it expand without having to hire accountants at the same pace it did previously—reflecting a broader bet among private equity firms and AI labs that the technology can help boost profits when consolidating professional services firms.