Going Concern has an interesting analysis of the Uber model and whether it can be applied to the accounting profession. Uber, for those who don't know, is a widely-used app that can summon car service on-demand, with drivers who are classified as contractors instead of employees. Since its success, there have been many other apps that have tried applying the same model to services like
house cleaning,
laundry, and
dog walking. Is an Uber for accounting next? Going Concern thinks the answer is "no."
The article goes into the reasoning in more detail, but in short Going Concern believes that accounting has many features that make adapting the Uber model difficult. For example, Uber and its imitators offer on-demand services, versus the more scheduled routines that typify accounting work. It's also a far more complex service than driving someone to the airport versus performing a financial audit of a multi-million dollar firm.
Another reason we'd like to propose here is that a big reason behind the success of these apps is that, by classifying workers as contractors, they're able to save a lot on personnel costs like benefits and regular wages. It's not hard to imagine that trained accountants who likely spent thousands on their educations and certifications will want to be paid more than many startups would be willing, or able, to offer.