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Before the holidays, Adam Conner began vibe coding. Like everyone else in the know, he was using Claude Code. Compared to popular chatbots, Anthropics advanced AI agent speaks the language of computers: code. Normally, you click buttons in browsers, open folders, and drag files. But you can also do so by codinginteracting with software by typing commands into a terminal, a text-based app. Claude Code goes beyond such primitive tasks, though: an AI that can code can effectively do nearly anything on a computer. We expected developers to use Claude Code for coding, but then something unexpected happened, an Anthropic spokesperson tells Fast Company. We started seeing the discovery arc where people would approach Claude Code to tackle a coding task, then have an ‘aha moment’ when they realized it could help with other tasks. The result of that aha moment is a vibe coding phenomenon that lets developersand, crucially, non-developers such as Connerharness the AI agent to write code and create projects that could grow tomato plants, knit sweaters, and build fully fledged iOS apps in hours. Conners vibe coding wasnt as dramatic as keeping living organisms alive, but no less impressive. He used it for his work: an AI labor market simulator, built from Bureau of Labor Statistics and Federal Reserve data. It projects the potential impact that AI could have on the economy. (Headline: its pretty big.) I got it running in a day, says Conner, whos also the vice president for technology policy at the Center of American Progress (CAP), a think-tank. It shows how this AI is more accessible and powerful. You can have limited programming experience, and still build something quickly. But the real revelation, says Conner, came using Claude Code to form his own policy council: 21 AI agents with competing ideologies and political agendas. Within minutes, it had generated 24-page proposal papers, 12-page draft legislations, and hundreds of policy ideas. You can now direct a small army of bots to do the tasks of humans relatively quickly, says Conner. Its not yet the game changer that can fully automate someones job, but you can begin to see how AI could be transformational. Were now in the fourth year of widely available generative AI tools. As adoption has ticked up23% of U.S. workers are now frequent AI users, nearly doubling year-over-yearso too have AI-related layoffs. Despite many companies citing AI as the cause for layoffs, though, actual mass job displacement due to AI has yet to materialize. But the capabilities of Anthropics Claude Codeand in particular its advanced AI workplace tool, Claude Coworkcould change that. The new knowledge worker So far, generative AIs use case has been split fairly equally between work and personal needs, such as generating ideas, editing, and even companionship. In 2025, bots were more often leveraged for therapy, life coaching, and, increasingly, codingthe latter likely driven by the popularity of Claude Code: generating more than $1 billion in revenue, just six months after general availability, according to Anthropic. On January 12, the San Francisco-headquartered company launched Claude Cowork. Its effectively a UI update to Code for the mass market. Whereas Code can only be utilized through a terminals command linethe barebones essence of human-to-computer interactionCowork adds the friendly, compliant chatbot layer to the Claude desktop app. Currently, anyone with a $100-per-month Claude Max subscription can prompt the AI to complete nearly any computer-related task. Compared to popular chatbots like ChatGPT, Perplexity, or the original Claude.ai, Cowork can, in theory, leverage users hard drivestheir digital livesin its working memory. In practice, as a workplace tool, Cowork can organize haystacks of files into neat, delineated folders; turn screenshots of invoices into actionable spreadsheets; pull material from multiple websites, synthesized and analyzed in a single document; and even action slide comments. In short, its a general AI assistant, built for knowledge work. Its like having a junior researcher thats proactive, makes few mistakes, and solves problems before you realize there even was one, says Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, professor of business psychology at University College London and Fast Company contributor whos written books about AI. Compared to other AI platforms, Cowork is smarter and more autonomous, he adds. In contrast to how people typically use ChatGPToften for their personal lives, such as travel plans, self-therapy, or recipesAnthropics latest agent can be more entrusted with their work. I use Cowork to digest research: Upload this folder and create a review of these articles main points, then look online for everything Ive written on this topic. So you can give it multi-layered tasks and receive highly accurate outputs, says Chamorro-Premuzic. These sorts of tasksbite-sized chunks of reading, researching, and writingare traditionally delegated to entry-level employees, says Conner. Its how knowledge workers judgment and expertise is honed on their gradual climb up the career ladder. If AI takes over some of those junior-level processes, it could pull the ladder up from them, he adds. The risk is that the effectiveness of AI agents like Cowork, and their widespread adoption, could impact entry-level hiring, continues Conner. This has long-term consequences for the economy. And in some ways, its already impacted how many entry-level jobs are available right now; some data suggests a 35% plummet in entry-level openings in the U.S. since 2023. Fewer junior roles eventually leads to fewer qualified candidates for mid-level and senior roles, Conner says. So, while short-term financial focus means some companies may want to adopt AI more and hire fewer junior folks, its possible we look back years from now and realize it hurt the talent pipeline. Coding the future Cowork has already deeply impacted the economy, just over a month after launch. p>On February 3, $300 billion was wiped from software and data stocks. It swiftly followed Anthropics release of plug-ins that can tailor Cowork to specific roles across sales, legal, financial analysis, and other industries. The worry is that if in-house lawyers can just use Cowork to do their work, they no longer need legal software, says Chamorro-Premuzic. He believes Cowork is an incremental upgrade, rather than exponential. But the next iteration will likely come soon. On February 5, Anthropic released Claude Opus 4.6. It has four times the effective recall of Opus 4.5, its predecessor that made Claude Code go virallaunched just 73 days before. The pace of release is accelerating (Sonnet 4.6, Anthropics free model, was released on February 17). Thats not just because of the AI raceClaude Code already writes 90% of its teams code. On December 27, its lead developer said all 40,000 lines of new code hed contributed in the past 30 days were written by the agentic tool. An autonomous, self-perpetuating feedback loop means the next upgrade is always imminent. We’re going to see AI involved in improving and building itself more and more, says an Anthropic spokesperson. In the closer term, Claude Code helps people build faster, with fewer resources, and the result is innovation across entire industries. We’re in the early innings of what’s possible. Claude Cowork isnt perfect. It requires oversight, particularly with high-stakes tasks. Like all AI, it can also make mistakesand given it can have access to personal files, apps, and tools, those errors can be more widespread than a chatbots text output. Its also not compliant first: conversation histories are stored locally, rather than within tightly regulated workflows. However, mass adoption of advanced AI tools like Cowork will likely be inevitable. So will labor market displacementits only the extent thats unclear. There are already signs that junior workers and college graduates are disproportionately affected by the onward march of AI. A November 2025 Stanford University study found a 16% relative decline in employment for early-career workers in occupations most exposed to the technology since 2022, such as software developers and customer service representatives. Not all entry-level jobs will be decimated by AI. Companies will always want to hire the best talent, and train them over time to accumulate institutional knowledge, workplace culture, and project history in ways technology cant. But there are concerns over how roles may be reshaped. If knowledge work merely becomes entering and fine-tuning prompts, it risks workers automating themselves, hampering their development and soft skills. Generative AI can tell you what to say in giving critical feedback, but its not the same as having a hard conversation and learning from it, says Chamorro-Premuzic. It becomes judgment without experience. The power of Claude Cowork means were one step closer to that future. Its like seeing the Wright brothers fly for the first time, says Conner. You wouldnt have understood the concept of a Boeing 767 flying across the ocean, but youd have grasped the idea of aviation. With Claude Cowork, you can see the future more clearly, and how this technology will have a major impact.
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Bourbon was once hailed as the poor mans drink. The spirit has since developed, however, from a mass-market American staple into a luxury class, and limited releases, higher prices, and brands vying for prestige have caused a crowded top tier. Even though the premium field has widened, the very top of the market remains stubbornly narrow, according to whiskey expert Fred Minnick. During a blind tasting of his top 100 American whiskeys of 2025, Minnick evaluated leading contenders anonymously. Even without labels, the rankings reflected the same hierarchy seen at retail and on the secondary market. The most scarce, high-status bottles still rose to the top, regardless of brand recognition. George T. Stagg claimed the number one spot, followed by Sazerac Rye 18 Year at number two. Both are part of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, one of the most limited and consistently in-demand product lines in American spirits. Buffalo Trace, beyond its Antique Collection, also produces the popularand often hard to findEagle Rare, Blantons, Weller, and Pappy Van Winkle whiskey brands. Minnicks ranking reinforced a key dynamic shaping the bourbon market. While dozens of producers now compete in the premium tier, demand continues to concentrate on a small set of legacy brands whose supply is structurally constrained by long aging cycles and finite inventory. Scarcity, not novelty, appears to be one of the most powerful differentiators at the top end. That scarcity has also shaped customer expectations. People who are out buying bourbon want to buy something that feels fancy, Minnick said, whos next book, Bottom Shelf, comes out next month. Bourbon, which used to be the poor mans drink, is now like a fancy mans drink. Those changing expectations are reflected not only in pricing and branding but in how elite bourbon is judged. Minnick noted that higher proof and longer finishonce defining markers of top-tier releasesno longer carry the same weight on their own. For the first time in my career, Im breaking protocol, he said. Im not rewarding the longer finish. Instead, Minnick favored the bourbon that delivered what he described as a fuller, more immersive experience, one that absolutely drenches my tongue and completely encompasses my entire mouth. While each bottle featured in Minnicks review is among the top American whiskeys, the most supply-constrained, prestige-driven brands still set the markets upper bound. And without labels, the qualities that signal luxury still held up under blind tasting. Check out the top five bottles below, and watch the full video on YouTube: George T. Stagg, Buffalo Trace Antique Collection Sazerac Rye 18 Year, Buffalo Trace Antique Collection Bombergers PFG Brother Justus Founders Reserve American Single Malt Heaven Hill 90th Anniversary Leila Sheridan This article originally appeared on Fast Companys sister website, Inc.com. Inc. is the voice of the American entrepreneur. We inspire, inform, and document the most fascinating people in business: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters that represent the most dynamic force in the American economy.
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President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday is likely to be a test run of the message Republicans will give to voters in November’s elections for control of the House and the Senate.The president and his party appear vulnerable, with polls showing much of America distrusts how Trump has managed the government in his first year back in office. In addition, the Supreme Court last week struck down one of the chief levers of his economic and foreign policy by ruling he lacked the power to impose many of his sweeping tariffs.Though Trump is expected to focus on domestic issues, his intensifying threats about launching military strikes on Iran over its nuclear program cast a shadow over the address.Here are a few things to watch as Trump tries to make his case: Economy and immigration are no longer strengths for Trump Trump swept back into the White House on promises to bring down prices and restore order to immigration in America. But on both issues, public sentiment has turned against him.Only 39% of U.S. adults approve of his economic leadership and just 38% support him on immigration, according to the latest Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey. Those low numbers show the country is still fretting about the costs of groceries, housing and utilities, a problem compounded by Trump’s whipsawing use of tariffs. They also show how the public was disturbed by videos of violent clashes with protesters, including two U.S. citizens killed by federal agents.Since his party passed a massive tax cut bill last year, Trump has yet to unveil major new policy ideas on the economy. In recent speeches, he has largely offered the public reruns about his tax cuts, plans to reduce mortgage rates and a new government website for buying prescription drugs.The Supreme Court ruling against many of Trump’s far-reaching global tariffs on Friday and the president vowing to use other means to forge ahead with import taxes will only prolong the economic turmoil over trade and prices.“I think it makes it even more important that the speech really focus on the economy,” said Alex Conant, a Republican strategist.Conant said between the tariff ruling and a Commerce Department report on Friday that showed U.S. economic growth slowed in the final three months of last year, “the president needs to bolster his economic message.” Blame everything on Biden The administration is trying to make the case that despite Trump’s rewiring of global trade and tax cuts, the economy is still struggling because of choices made in 2021 and 2022 by his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden. But Trump is also seeking to take credit for positive signs in the current economy, such as recent stock market gains.“Watch the State of the Union. We’re going to be talking about the economy. We inherited a mess,” Trump said at the White House on Wednesday.Of course, Trump made the same kind of argument in his address to a joint session of Congress last year, invoking the Biden name 13 times. Trump’s focus on foreign policy has yet to resonate politically Despite Trump’s America First credo, his aggressive approach abroad over the past year has sparked concerns among some of his supporters about whether he should spend more time focusing on voters at home.Trump, who’s made it clear he covets a Nobel Peace Prize, is likely to use the speech to remind Americans of his attempts to try to broker peace accords in global conflicts.But in many respects, the president hasn’t been extending olive branches. Within the past year, his administration has launched strikes in Yemen, Nigeria and Iran, along with an ongoing campaign of lethal military strikes on alleged drug-trafficking vessels near South America. Trump also shocked the world in January with a surprise raid to capture Venezuela’s then-leader, Nicolás Maduro, and floated the idea of using force to seize Greenland.In recent weeks, as he pressures Iran, Trump has bolstered the U.S. military’s presence in the Middle East. But he has yet to make a clear case to voters about what his actions overseas mean for their lives.He might even minimize foreign policy in his State of the Union despite his belief that it’s been a major success.“For as much as foreign policy has dominated his last year in office, this speech will mostly focus on the economy,” Conant predicted.Vice President JD Vance offered a similar prediction, saying in an interview Saturday on Fox News Channel that in the speech, “you’re going to hear a lot about the importance of bringing jobs back into our country, of reshoring manufacturing, of all these great factories that are being built.”He said Trump would also speak about lowering energy costs. Trump has made the State of the Union his own The State of the Union used to be about recapping accomplishments and seeking to unite the country, but it increasingly reflects divisions in society.“What you’re going to expect is some version of a campaign speech in which the Democrats are the villains, the Republicans he likes are the heroes, and he is the savior not only of the nation but of the globe,” said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, a communications professor at the University of Pennsylvania.Trump supporters might cherish the moment in 2020 when the president midspeech reunited a military family. He also bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Rush Limbaugh, the conservative radio host and author who died in 2021. But that moment turned off Democrats who saw Limbaugh as a destructive figure in political media. Reaction in the room could matter as much as Trump’s words Trump is delivering the speech, but his audience sitting in the House chamber has a big role, too. When Trump delivered his 2020 State of the Union, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi theatrically ripped up a copy of the speech afterward, overshadowing much of what Trump said.House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York has said in a letter to colleagues “it is important to have a strong, determined and dignified Democratic presence in the chamber,” indicating some members might choose not to attend in protest to Trump. But there’s also the possibility of Democrats razzing Trump as Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, did in 2025, leading him to be removed from the chamber.If Trump in his speech lays out a fuller case for why he’s using other mechanisms in federal law to continue his tariffs, Conant said it’ll be interesting to see the reaction from lawmakers.“I think that any House Republicans that don’t applaud his tariffs are going to be featured prominently on the telecast,” he said. State of the Unions have short shelf lives While some presidential phrases endure, much of the rhetoric in State of the Unions is forgettable. And with Trump who’s known for veering off-script there’s a good chance a stray comment or a social media post could step on his message.Matt Latimer, a former Republican speechwriter for then-President George W. Bush, noted in an email that people hear the president talk all of the time, so the State of the Union has lost much of its luster.A State of the Union “only matters in moments when the country is undergoing a great trauma a war, an attack, a global crisis and a president and Congress want to speak in a (mostly) united voice to the country,” he said. “That’s not what we are experiencing now.” Josh Boak and Michelle L. Price, Associated Press
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