September 16, 2025

S03|01: 15 Hours to 15 Seconds: Transforming Tax Research with Benjamin Alarie

47 minutes

In this episode, we talk with Benjamin Alarie, Co-Founder and CEO of Blue J, about his unusual journey from academia into entrepreneurship. Ben shares how a curriculum reform project at the University of Toronto Law School sparked his vision for a tool that could massively accelerate tax research. That idea became Blue J, an AI platform now used by thousands of firms across North America and the UK to cut research time from hours to seconds.

We explore the challenges of introducing AI into a highly traditional, expertise-driven profession, the reactions from seasoned tax professionals, and how younger generations are adopting the technology as a career accelerator. Ben also discusses the pivotal decision to pivot Blue J’s product development after the launch of ChatGPT, leading to a new version capable of answering virtually any tax research question.

Beyond business, Ben shares how meditation, family projects like hiking the Bruce Trail, and a deep sense of alignment between his personal and professional life fuel his ability to operate at a high level. We wrap with a look at his upcoming book, Super Justice, and his vision for how AI can help create fairer, more efficient, and more human-centered legal systems.

About Ben Alarie

Benjamin Alarie is the Co-Founder and CEO of Blue J, an AI-powered tax research platform used by accounting and law firms worldwide. A law professor at the University of Toronto, Ben is also a former Supreme Court of Canada law clerk and holds degrees from Yale Law School and the University of Toronto. His academic work focuses on law, economics, and tax policy, and he has authored several books, including The Legal Singularity. His latest work, Super Justice, explores how AI can shape fairer, more efficient legal systems.

Resources discussed in this episode: