If it feels like the tech-minded people in your life have collectively lost their minds—more than usual—that’s likely the effect of Claude Code.
You’re either deeply immersed in “vibe coding,” to the point of digital transcendence, or you’re drafting an email welcoming our AI overlords. If Claude Code sounds like a game you haven’t tried, this explanation is for you.
What exactly *is* Claude Code?
Chatbots chat, right? They write, talk, and even compose college papers. Claude Code, developed by the AI company Anthropic, actually *does* things with your computer—many of the things you can already do. (Though perhaps not for those unfamiliar with advanced programming.)
What kinds of things?
Honestly, it’s easier to list what it *can’t* do. Users have already created a Spotify Wrapped-style program for text messages, personalized daily news briefs pulling from emails and newsletters, a Pokémon card management system, a personal DNA analyzer, and even a “cyberpunk” Tetris game. Access requires a Claude Pro account, starting at $20 per month.
Do you need to know how to code?
Not necessarily. Claude Code operates within a “command-line interface”—the part of your computer where you type commands instead of clicking icons.
Sounds intimidating…
It’s okay if you’re not a coding expert. While experienced programmers get the most out of it, the learning curve is rapidly decreasing. You can increasingly interact with Claude Code as you would a chatbot, using plain English. It might be clunkier, but that’s true for most of us.
Here’s how it works:
- You tell it what you want (fix a bug or add a feature).
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It analyzes the project’s codebase—all the files that make the program run.
- It edits the relevant files.
- It can run tests to check for errors.
- It iterates.
Ideally, it’s a self-closing loop: plan, change, check, fix. That’s why software developers are feeling a sense of relief.
What about my files? I’d like to keep them safe.
That’s a smart concern. Claude Code is “agentic,” meaning it can act with little supervision. The benefits of autonomy come with the risk of unintended actions.
Be explicit in your instructions—like, “do not delete anything.” (Claude Code usually asks for confirmation before irreversible changes.) It’s like parenting a superpowered five-year-old. Backups are always a good idea, too.
Okay, this is great for programmers. But what about the rest of us?
It matters a lot. The potential endgame, as described by AI writer/investor Leopold Aschenbrenner, is “drop-in remote workers.”
If you work remotely, you likely execute tasks on a computer. Even writing this article involves manipulating computer code under the hood.
Large language models—like Claude’s Opus 4.5—are already adept at thinking, analyzing, and writing, and they’re improving rapidly.
Claude Code gives a language model tool access—file editing, searching, running commands—within a codebase. If chatbots can advise, Claude Code can *do*.
Anthropic is extending this capability beyond programmers with Claude Cowork. Instead of a codebase, you point it at your notes, documents, spreadsheets, and PDFs—the “junk drawer” of modern work—and it can read, organize, extract, and draft deliverables.
Claude Code is a drop-in worker for software teams; Cowork is for the rest of us, turning messy inputs into usable outputs.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has warned we could be “sleepwalking into a white-collar bloodbath,” with AI eliminating entry-level jobs quickly.
Have you tried Claude Cowork?
Not yet. Cowork was initially available only on the $100-per-month Max account, but on Friday, Anthropic opened it up to the $20-per-month Pro accounts.
Aren’t you the Good News guy?
I am! (Sign up for the newsletter here.) The future may involve less job *replacement* and more job *rearrangement*, turning workers into managers of AI agents. We might all become Bill Lumbergh from Office Space, directing AI to fill out endless TPS reports.
O brave new world…
It’s going to get weird. Weirder, even.
But for now, unless you’re planning to sabotage data centers—please don’t—experiment with these tools. The feeling of creating something that actually works is powerful.
And how did that story end?
And they all lived happily ever after.
Update, January 16, 2025, 1:45 pm ET: This story was published on January 16 and has been updated to reflect that Anthropic has opened Cowork to Pro account users.
