The Startup Ideas Podcast

Episode Title: Claude Code's Creator Reveals "Claude Cowork"'s Setup
Host: Greg Isenberg
Guest: Boris, Creator of Claude Code & Co-creator of Claude Cowork
Published: January 23, 2026

Overview

This episode offers a deep dive into Claude Cowork—the user-friendly interface for Claude Code. Host Greg Isenberg welcomes Boris, the creator of Claude Code and co-creator of Cowork. Together, they explore Cowork’s real-world capabilities, the philosophy behind its design, innovative use cases, best practices, and Boris's personal setup that went viral within the developer community. The tone is conversational, curious, and practical—focused on demystifying powerful AI tools for both novices and power users.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What is Claude Cowork and Why Does It Matter?

• Context: Claude Cowork brings the power of Claude Code to a simple UI approachable for non-technical users.
  • "It is an easy way for you to use Claude code...in a UI that is simple, that anyone could use, that your dad can use, your mom could use, hey, even you can use." (A, 00:15)
• Distinction: Unlike traditional coding agents, Cowork can interact with files, generate documents, automate tasks, and even control browsers—pushing boundaries beyond classic chat interfaces.

2. Cowork Product Tour and Agentic AI Explained

• UI Structure:
  • Three main tabs: Chat, Cowork (new), Code.
  • Currently Mac-only; Windows coming soon. (B, 03:29)
• Agentic Models:
  • Agents don't just provide text—they take actions (e.g., organize files, operate browsers).
  • "With agents...it can actually use tools on your computer. It can interact with the world." (B, 05:00)
• Cowork’s Safety Focus:
  • User grants folder access.
  • Strong safety/permission systems, deletion protection, prompt-injection mitigations.

3. Live Demo: Practical Use Cases

A. File Management

• [06:29-08:30]
  • Cowork is granted access to a folder of receipts.
  • Renames files based on receipt dates, clarifies uncertainties via “reverse elicitation.”
  • Boris demonstrates how Cowork asks for input if info is missing—showcasing intelligence and safety.

B. Spreadsheet Creation & Automation

• [08:30-12:12]
  • Automatically creates a spreadsheet from renamed files.
  • Can generate Google Sheets, and interact with browser tools to format/share data.
  • Cowork opens browser, creates a Google Sheet, formats data, and even prepares emails to teammates.

C. Parallel Processing

• [14:12-16:05]
  • Multiple Cowork sessions/tasks can run in parallel.
  • "I'll kick off a few different tasks in parallel and I'll just kind of go back and forth between them and kind of tend to my quads..." (B, 17:12)

D. Communication Automation

• [15:56-19:10]
  • Cowork can draft/send Gmail, Slack messages, and automate team workflows.
  • Example: Message engineers to fill spreadsheet columns via Slack.

4. Cowork as a Gateway for Non-Technical Users

• Accessibility:
  • "For a lot of beginners, non-technical people, Claude code feels a bit overwhelming. But...watching you do this, this feels, you know, approachable." (A, 19:10)
• Customizability:
  • Engineers can deeply customize Claude Code.
  • Cowork targets simplicity; minimal setup needed, extensibility available through “skills” if desired.

5. 'Skills' and Extensibility

• [20:54-22:23]
  • “Skills” are repeatable, process-automations for specific apps/formats (e.g., Excel, Salesforce, AutoCAD).
  • More skills = broader capabilities.

6. Best Practices for Using Cowork

• Start simple: Use out-of-the-box before customizing.
• Install Chrome extension: Enables browser automation.
• Iterate and observe: Product is early; new uses and improvements happening rapidly.

7. The Future of Cowork & Agentic AI

• [24:22-28:00]
  • Exponential advances make prediction hard.
  • Tide of general-purpose AI assistants is rising—agents will handle more tedious, multi-app “glue” work.
  • Vertical use-cases expected to emerge (e.g., AutoCAD workflows).
  • "It's sort of like every layer of the stack, it just gets more and more powerful and it spreads more quickly. And so it's like on the back of all of this that AI can exist." (B, 27:53)

8. Boris’s Personal Workflow & Viral Claude Code Setup

Viral Tweet Recap

• [29:11-40:39]
  • "My setup might be surprisingly vanilla. Cloud code works great out of the box, so I personally don't customize it much.” (A, 29:11)
• Key Insights:
  1. Parallel Tasks: Runs 5–10 “quads” in parallel, tending them like a manager, both in terminal and on mobile.
     • "My job now isn’t to go super deep on one task, it’s to do a bunch of tasks in parallel." (B, 29:53)
  2. Multi-device Workflow: Starts tasks from phone, finishes on web or terminal.
  3. Model Choice: Uses Opus 4.5 for everything—smarter = faster/cheaper.
     • "Because the model is smarter, it actually uses less tokens in the end and it uses so many less tokens, it's often cheaper..." (B, 34:04)
  4. Claude MD: A shared text file as team knowledge base; updated whenever Claude makes a mistake or a repeat issue is found.
  5. Compound Engineering: Uses GitHub integration for automated code suggestions and knowledge sharing.
  6. Plan Mode: Prefers plan-first, then auto-execute—“Once the plan is good, the code is good.” (A, 31:17)
  7. Output Verification: Always give Claude a way to check its own work (tests, browser, etc.)

Ultimate Tip:

- *"There's no right. There's no one right way to use the stuff. Like, you know, see what's useful, see what's not. Find your own workflows."* (B, 40:11)

9. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "You really can treat it like a teammate in that sense, right? Like, go and do this thing. The world is your oyster." (A, 10:27)
• "The age of kind of multi-clotting, of parallelism, of not going super deep on stuff, but kind of being more of a generalist and more tending to attending to your quads." (B, 17:12)
• "A good plan is really important." (B, 37:53)
• "Just see what works for you." (B, 40:39)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [03:29] – Boris walks through the Cowork UI
• [06:29] – Demo: Cowork organizes receipts
• [08:30] – Automating data to spreadsheet
• [12:12] – Sending data to Gmail
• [14:12] – Parallel task management
• [19:10] – Discussion: Cowork’s accessibility
• [22:23] – Extensions, skills, and customization
• [24:22] – Predictions for Cowork’s future
• [29:11] – Boris’s viral tweet: Setup details
• [33:46] – Model selection tips
• [34:54] – Claude MD as knowledge base
• [35:39] – GitHub automation/compound engineering
• [39:53] – Output checking
• [40:11] – "Find your own path" with Cowork

Final Moments: The "Claude" Pronunciation Debate

• Lighthearted end: Greg, as a Québécois, discusses calling the AI “Claude” (French pronunciation). Boris jokes about testing it at the office.
  • "Which one sounds better?" (B, 41:33)

Summary Takeaways

• Claude Cowork brings agentic AI to everyone, not just programmers—doing real work on your desktop, automating tasks, and learning as it evolves.
• Start simple, experiment, and iterate. Watch for rapid improvements and emerging use cases, especially in enabling “digital teammates” for all sorts of businesses.
• Boris’s workflow: Emphasizes parallelization, automated planning, model selection, shared knowledge, and output verification for maximum productivity.
• The future: Agentic AI is poised to transform not just coding, but all routine computer work—get in early, get creative, and don’t be afraid to find your own path!

Links:

• 30 Startup Ideas Database
• [Follow Boris on Twitter/X (when he tweets, it's worth it!)](link not provided)