Billie opens with a live demo she recorded that morning: Perplexity's new Computer tool, which fills out a US tax return end to end, including error-checking, by pulling documents and asking clarifying questions. It doesn't file, but it does everything up to that point. The hosts are clear that this is US-only for now, but equally clear it's a direction of travel that UK accountants shouldn't ignore. Kevin links it to a bolder claim from Tom Blomfield, ex-CEO of Monzo, who argued that income tax collection could be restructured entirely within five years, cutting out advisers and individual returns altogether. The hosts are sceptical, calling it naive and more than a little click-baity, but the underlying question about where accountant value sits is taken seriously.
Mayday gets a positive segment. The team runs through a strong Q1: centralised control of contacts, chart of accounts and tracking categories across multiple Xero entities, plus the acquisition of Easy Month End. Indi flags what looks like a deepening strategic alignment with Xero and raises the question of whether an acquisition is on the cards. Kevin, who first met founder David Tuck at a Xero roadshow in Australia, thinks the growth has come from solving real pain points rather than chasing trends.
Xero's announcement of Xero OS generates the most debate. Billie breaks down the rebrand and what it means in practice: JAX shifting from assistant framing to something closer to an AI CFO, with the ability to reconcile, analyse bills and initiate payments. Indi's reading is more structural. She argues the move from "ecosystem" to "operating system" is a deliberate signal that Xero is closing the dome around its data and its platform, which will compress the opportunity for many of the apps currently sitting on top of it.
Kevin covers Oracle's Fusion Finance agentic applications, where agents can chase payments, manage collections and push finance workflows forward without waiting for human input. He draws a parallel with Employment Hero's own experience rebranding around an operating system model two years ago, and notes that AI is already collapsing roadmap timelines from twelve months to weeks.
Also covered: Dext's webinar updates including Dext Payments moving into payroll payments; Briefcase One adding live bank feeds with automated merchant recognition, categorisation and ledger posting; FreeAgent's MTD bulk workflow release, which Billie calls well-timed and genuinely practical; and GoCardless cutting 90 jobs while targeting EBITDA positive in 2026, which prompts a broader conversation about whether AI-driven redundancies are good cost discipline or a short-term mistake.
FreeAgent is the proud sponsor of this episode. FreeAgent is an HMRC-recognised MTD solution for sole traders, landlords and CIS clients, helping practices manage compliance at scale with bulk actions, automated submissions and client-level permissions. Find out more at freeagent.com.
00:00 Introduction to the Digital Disruptors Podcast
04:25 Perplexity AI going after accounting?
06:54 Income tax redundant in 5 years?
12:47 Huge Q1 for Mayday
17:35 Xero's new AI operating system
25:25 Oracle announces Fusion Finance
26:48 Dext Payments: automation in payroll and accounting
30:11 Briefcase One now has bank feeds
33:35 MTD-focused releases from FreeAgent
36:49 GoCardless axes 90 jobs
44:34 Close