Anthropic’s new Cowork tool offers Claude Code without the code

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories this afternoon

View this email online in your browser  January 12, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 Anthropic's new Cowork tool offers Claude Code without the code: Built into the Claude Desktop app, Cowork lets users designate a specific folder where Claude can read or modify files, with further instructions given through the standard chat interface. Read More Google's Gemini to power Apple's AI features like Siri: Apple and Google have embarked on a non-exclusive, multi-year partnership that will involve Apple using Gemini models and Google cloud technology for future foundational models. Read More Trump's EPA plans to ignore health effects of air pollution: The Trump administration plans to stop assigning value to human life when analyzing the costs and benefits of air pollution controls. Read More Be the first to know when news breaks Subscribe to our News Alerts, and you won't miss a thing. Breaking news, exclusives, and special reports—straight to your inbox. Sign up for News Alerts! A message from Fidelity Start Scrappy. Scale Smart Managing your equity in a spreadsheet might work, until you're raising your next round, onboarding new hires, or navigating your first SAFE. Fidelity Private Shares' free cap table template can provide you with a clean start. And when you're ready to ditch the manual updates, we'll help you scale with confidence. Download Now Afternoon Must-Reads Pebble founder says his new company is 'not a startup': Pebble's founder talks about how his new company is doing things differently. Read More Mark Zuckerberg says Meta is launching its own AI infrastructure initiative: Meta is ramping up its efforts to build out its AI capacity — Zuckerberg said the company intended to drastically expand its energy footprint in the coming years. Read More Why Amazon bought Bee, an AI wearable: Amazon explains where its wearable Bee fits in and whether it will merge with Alexa. Read More Anthropic announces Claude for Healthcare following OpenAI's ChatGPT Health reveal: Anthropic's Claude for Healthcare is unveiled about a week after OpenAI announced its ChatGPT Health product. Read More Fintech firm Betterment confirms data breach after hackers send fake crypto scam notification to users: Hackers gained access to some Betterment customers' personal information through a social engineering attack, then targeted some of them with a crypto-related phishing message. Read More A message from TechCrunch Events Start planning for this year: RSVP for TechCrunch events now Founder-first interactive and networking sessions at TechCrunch Founder Summit. No-filter, exclusive VC intel at StrictlyVC. Three days of high-octane learning, deal flow, and networking at Disrupt. The 2026 TechCrunch events calendar is stacked. Join the waitlist for any or all events to secure early access to the lowest ticket prices within the next few weeks when they go live. Waitlist Now You missed these chats from Disrupt: Kindred talks home-swapping platform for travelers, Chef Robotics introduces AI into commercial kitchens, and Character.AI addresses chatbot safety with teens. Watch on Cheddar.com Watch on Streaming Last but Not Least Meta hires former Trump advisor Dina Powell McCormick as president and vice chair: Powell McCormick served as deputy national security advisor to President Donald Trump. Read More Check out some of our other newsletters: StrictlyVC TechCrunch Events TechCrunch Mobility Want to adjust your daily newsletter schedule? You can do it right here Got a tip? Get in touch securely. Want to advertise on TechCrunch? advertise@techcrunch.com Has this been forwarded to you? Click here to subscribe to this newsletter. Unsubscribe Member Center Privacy Policy Copyright © 2026 TechCrunch Media LLC 501 2nd Street, Suite 650, San Francisco, CA 94107