Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories this afternoon

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January 12, 2026

 

TechCrunch Top 3

Anthropic’s new Cowork tool offers Claude Code without the code

Anthropic’s new Cowork tool offers Claude Code without the code: Built into the Claude Desktop app, Cowork lets users designate a specific folder where Claude can read or modify files, with further instructions given through the standard chat interface. Read More

Google’s Gemini to power Apple’s AI features like Siri: Apple and Google have embarked on a non-exclusive, multi-year partnership that will involve Apple using Gemini models and Google cloud technology for future foundational models. Read More

Trump’s EPA plans to ignore health effects of air pollution: The Trump administration plans to stop assigning value to human life when analyzing the costs and benefits of air pollution controls. Read More

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Afternoon Must-Reads

Mark Zuckerberg says Meta is launching its own AI infrastructure initiative

Mark Zuckerberg says Meta is launching its own AI infrastructure initiative: Meta is ramping up its efforts to build out its AI capacity — Zuckerberg said the company intended to drastically expand its energy footprint in the coming years. Read More

Why Amazon bought Bee, an AI wearable: Amazon explains where its wearable Bee fits in and whether it will merge with Alexa. Read More

Anthropic announces Claude for Healthcare following OpenAI's ChatGPT Health reveal: Anthropic's Claude for Healthcare is unveiled about a week after OpenAI announced its ChatGPT Health product. Read More

Meta hires former Trump advisor Dina Powell McCormick as president and vice chair: Powell McCormick served as deputy national security advisor to President Donald Trump. Read More

Pebble founder says his new company is 'not a startup': Pebble's founder talks about how his new company is doing things differently. Read More

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You missed these chats from Disrupt:

Kindred talks home-swapping platform for travelers, Chef Robotics introduces AI into commercial kitchens, and Character.AI addresses chatbot safety with teens.

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Last but Not Least

Fintech firm Betterment confirms data breach after hackers send fake crypto scam notification to users

Fintech firm Betterment confirms data breach after hackers send fake crypto scam notification to users: Hackers gained access to some Betterment customers’ personal information through a social engineering attack, then targeted some of them with a crypto-related phishing message. Read More

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