Anthropic upgrades Claude add-ins for Excel and PowerPoint

Anthropic has updated its Claude add-ins for Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint, introducing shared context, reusable workflows, and new deployment options for enterprise users. The most significant change is shared context across applications. Claude can now carry information from an open Excel workbook directly into a PowerPoint presentation within a single session, without the user needing …

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With a little help from Claude: Microsoft’s Copilot Cowork takes over your to-do list

Microsoft has announced Copilot Cowork, a cloud-based AI agent that can complete complex tasks across Microsoft 365 applications on behalf of users. Carl Franzen reports for VentureBeat that the tool is built using technology from Anthropic, the AI company behind the competing Claude Cowork product. Copilot Cowork forms the centerpiece of Microsoft’s “Wave 3” update …

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Anthropic launches Claude Marketplace for enterprise AI tools

Anthropic has launched Claude Marketplace, a new platform that gives enterprise customers access to third-party tools built on its Claude AI models. Emilia David reports for VentureBeat that the marketplace currently features products from companies including GitLab, Harvey, Lovable, Replit, Rogo and Snowflake. The platform is designed to simplify procurement. Enterprises with an existing Anthropic …

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Claude Sonnet 4.6: near-flagship performance at mid-tier pricing

Anthropic has released Claude Sonnet 4.6, a significant upgrade to its mid-tier AI model. The company says it outperforms its predecessor across coding, computer use, long-context reasoning, agent planning, knowledge work, and design. Sonnet 4.6 is now the default model in claude.ai and Claude Cowork and carries the same price as its predecessor, Sonnet 4.5, …

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Anthropic raises $30 billion in Series G funding round

Anthropic has closed a $30 billion Series G funding round, making it the second-largest private tech fundraising in history after OpenAI’s $40 billion raise. The round was led by Coatue and Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC, with participation from numerous investors including Microsoft and Nvidia. The company reports a post-money valuation between $350 billion and …

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How Anthropic’s obsession with AI safety became its secret weapon against OpenAI

Anthropic has emerged as a formidable competitor in the artificial intelligence industry by focusing on enterprise customers and positioning itself as the most safety-conscious AI company. The approach appears to be paying off both commercially and in investor confidence, even as critics question whether the company can maintain its principles while racing to capture market …

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Anthropic releases Claude Opus 4.6 with expanded context window and agent teams

Anthropic has released Claude Opus 4.6, an upgraded version of its flagship AI model that can handle longer conversations and coordinate multiple AI agents working simultaneously on complex tasks. The company claims the model outperforms competitors including OpenAI’s GPT-5.2 on several professional benchmarks. The release introduces a one-million-token context window for the first time in …

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OpenAI and Anthropic race to be first major AI startup to go public

OpenAI is holding informal discussions with Wall Street banks about a potential initial public offering, positioning itself in a race against rival Anthropic to become the first major generative AI company to tap public markets. The ChatGPT maker has expanded its finance team with key hires including chief accounting officer Ajmere Dale and corporate business …

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Claude Cowork’s new plug-ins promise to transform workplace productivity

Anthropic has introduced plug-ins for Cowork, its recently launched agentic tool designed to bring AI assistance beyond coding tasks. The new feature aims to automate specialized workflows across different company departments, Lucas Ropek reports for TechCrunch. The plug-ins enable automated task handling for marketing content creation, legal document review, customer support responses, and other department-specific …

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Secret book scanning project reveals AI industry’s data hunger

Anthropic spent tens of millions of dollars to acquire and physically destroy millions of books for training its Claude AI chatbot. The company cut off book spines and scanned pages in a covert initiative called “Project Panama.” Aaron Schaffer reports for The Washington Post, detailing the operation through more than 4,000 pages of unsealed court …

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