Claude Cowork Product Manager's Review: It's Not Surprising for AI to Do Work, but What Really Counts Is Its Reusability
The new product Claude Cowork launched by Anthropic marks a shift in the core of AI competition from mere model strength to the standardized reuse of capabilities. This product not only enables AI to step out of the dialog box and directly take over desktop tasks, but its core code was autonomously generated by multiple AI units under the guidance of developers in just 1.5 weeks. The key to this efficient output lies in a system called "Skills", which transforms complex natural - language instructions into digital assets that can be precipitated and disseminated. Through this model, the role of humans has shifted from low - level code writers to architecture designers and rule - setters, focusing on refining reusable logical molds. This indicates that software development is transitioning from the traditional handicraft industry to a semi - automated factory model. In the future, personal value will depend on the ability to transform personal experience into infinitely reusable productivity processes.
In 2026, the trend of AI competition has changed.
Anthropic has proven with a new product that the real barrier does not lie in how powerful the model is, but in whether the capabilities can be reused.
On January 13th, Claude Cowork was launched. It's not a new model, but rather allows Claude to step out of the chat box and directly "get hands - on" in your computer folders.
But what really catches people's attention is not its function, but how it was developed.
According to Boris Cherny, the person in charge of Claude Code, almost all of Cowork's core code was autonomously generated by Claude in just 1.5 weeks. Felix Rieseberg, the product manager of Cowork, later confirmed this achievement during a live broadcast, dispelling external doubts about it being a "demo video".
However, this 1.5 - week miracle is not just a victory of speed, but also a victory of "reusable logic".
The reason for this rapid development is that Claude did not write the code from scratch, but instead called a set of standardized capability modules known as "Skills". The emergence of this model has completely changed the nature of ordinary people's work:
"The truly valuable part of your work is no longer to complete tasks personally, but to precipitate tasks into infinitely reusable processes."
This is not a marketing gimmick, but a key signal of technological implementation.
Section 1 | Claude Wrote Cowork
Cowork is not just a new feature of Claude. In essence, it's more like a newly - recruited "AI employee": it can understand human language, accept instructions, and complete specific tasks on your computer.
This "employee - like" quality is first reflected in its own birth process.
Felix revealed the behind - the - scenes details during the live broadcast:
"Each developer on the team does not directly write code, but instead manages 3 to 8 Claude windows simultaneously, directing them to perform their respective duties. Some write code, some check for bugs, and some come up with solutions."
This has completely subverted the traditional development process.
It's not the traditional model where humans write code and AI provides assistance. Instead, it's the other way around: humans focus on architecture design and decision - making, while AI is responsible for the specific implementation. Felix described that under the new division of labor, engineers are more like "collaboration supervisors" rather than traditional programmers.
Relying on this "1 person directing 8 AIs" model, Claude completed all the core development of Cowork from the back - end to the front - end in just 1.5 weeks. However, this is by no means a simple demo prototype, but a mature product with complete code, interfaces, and an interface that can be directly launched.
This verified execution ability during the development stage has been directly translated into real productivity.
When you install Cowork on your desktop, it behaves like a seasoned executor. For example, if you give the order to "organize the download folder", Cowork will automatically identify file types, classify and organize them, and even determine whether renaming or deletion is necessary. Another example is "make a reimbursement form from receipts". It can accurately recognize text in pictures, extract amounts, and automatically create a table and sum them up.
As Felix said:
"We're not creating a tool. We're turning Claude into a colleague who can work."
From Claude Code to Cowork, the role of AI tools is undergoing a qualitative change. It is no longer content with brainstorming with you in the chat box, but is truly entering your desktop to handle trivial matters and deliver results.
Claude is no longer just talking; it's starting to take action.
Section 2 | The Skills System Is the Key
On the surface, Cowork's rapid launch seems to be a victory of strategy, but the underlying technological engine supporting it is the Skills system.
The core value of this system lies precisely in two words: reuse.
Different from the traditional stacking of code plugins, Skills are essentially a set of natural - language instruction sets written for Claude.
If you don't understand this term, you can simply think of it as an "operational manual (SOP)" for an AI employee. It doesn't require complex encapsulation like traditional code, but is a step - by - step instruction written entirely in human language. For example: If you want to perform Task A, first read Data B, and then process it according to Principle C.
Felix gave a vivid example:
"He wanted to create a marathon training schedule, so he asked Claude to scrape sports records from multiple web pages and then wrote the requirements into a Skills file. This step doesn't require programming; you just need to write the steps in Markdown, and Claude will follow them."
More importantly, these Skills are highly reusable.
In the past, when dealing with a complex and trivial task (such as analyzing competitor data), you might need to write a new Prompt every time or perform the operations step by step yourself. But in Cowork, once you write this process as a Skill:
It becomes an "asset": The next time you use it, you just need to click a button to call it, without having to repeat the same instructions.
It enables "zero - cost distribution": A Skills file summarized by a senior employee can be directly sent to an intern (or another AI), and the latter will instantly have the same business - processing ability.
This has completely changed the logic of product development: Product managers no longer need to pre - develop hundreds of rigid functions. Instead, they provide a set of basic capabilities, allowing users to precipitate their "one - time experiences" into "reusable Skills".
Cowork is validating a new value formula: The most valuable aspect of AI is not how quickly it can perform a single task, but its ability to encapsulate your personal wisdom into a productivity tool that can be used across the entire team at low cost.
Section 3 | Software Development Transforms from Handicraft to Semi - Automation
The birth process of Cowork is not only the best validation of this "Skills philosophy", but also breaks the industry's iron rule that "code must be written line by line by humans" in the software industry.
The most direct impact is an exponential increase in efficiency.
Team collaboration (the result of reuse): A 5 - person team, through Skills scheduling, is actually directing 15 to 40 AI development units to work together. This is not simply "replacing humans with AI", but magnifying the engineering capabilities of individual programmers several times.
Extreme speed: The traditional process takes months, but Cowork went from requirement to launch in just 1.5 weeks. The parallel processing ability of AI has directly eliminated a large amount of wasted time caused by "alignment meetings" and "code review schedules".
Since Skills allow users to reuse operation processes, engineers can naturally use them to reuse development logic.
In Cowork's development system, Skills are equivalent to "construction blueprints", more like "reusable molds" in industrial production. Engineers no longer need to write every function by hand (lay every brick). Instead, they focus on refining clear Skills documents (designing molds), establishing architecture rules and logical templates. Once the mold is designed, the specific code filling and testing can be handed over to AI for "mass production" an infinite number of times.
This has led to a fundamental change in engineering division of labor and a redefinition of personal value:
Senior engineers transform into architects and mold designers (producing reusable Skills assets);
AI takes on the role of assembly - line workers (responsible for specific single - time implementation);
Product managers focus on the acceptance of the final results and course correction.
The data showing a 50% increase in the productivity of internal engineers at Anthropic is evidence of this change. In the future, engineers will no longer be hard - working bricklayers, but quality inspectors and designers of assembly lines.
Cowork is not just a new product. It is a feasibility sample of a "semi - automated software factory" presented by Anthropic to the industry.
Here, what is truly valuable is no longer the bricks, but the "Skills" that can automatically lay the bricks.
Conclusion | From "Selling Time" to "Accumulating Assets"
Cowork validates not only that AI can work, but also a production model based on reuse.
Humans are responsible for designing rules (molds), and AI is responsible for mass production (bricks).
It is precisely because of the reuse of "thinking" that a 5 - person team can unleash the production capacity of 15 to 40 AI units. This "semi - automated factory" model has been successfully implemented within Anthropic.
It reminds us that software development is evolving from the handicraft industry.
In the future, the core competitiveness is not how fast you can work, but whether your capabilities can be infinitely reused.
Original Links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPBN - QIfLaY
https://www.businessinsider.com/anthropic - claude - cowork - release - ai - vibecoded - 2026 - 1
https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeAI/comments/1qb6gdx/claude_just_introduced_cowork_the_claude_code_for
Source: Official Media/Online News
This article is from the WeChat official account "AI Deep Researcher". The author is AI Deep Researcher, the editor is Shen Si, and it is published by 36Kr with authorization.