Anthropic just gave Claude control of a real mini shop inside their office for a month.
The result:
An identity crisis, metal cube mania, hallucinated contracts, and a glimpse at the future of work.
This experiment is wild. Here's what happened 👇
They called it Project Vend.
Claude Sonnet 3.7 was tasked with running a tiny automated store:
- Track inventory
- Set prices
- Handle customers via Slack
- Order restocks via email
- Avoid going bankrupt
It even had to turn a profit.
The setup:
- A fridge, baskets, iPad = the storefront
- Claude = "Claudius", the digital shopkeeper
- Andon Labs = the “hands” for real-world tasks
- Slack + web search = Claude’s tools
So how did Claudius perform as a business operator?
But most people are using it like a basic chatbot.
I've used it to generate content, automate deep research, build apps, and more.
Here are 10 real ways to unlock its power:
1. Automated Research Reports (better than $100k consultants)
Claude’s web search + analysis mode lets you do what McKinsey, Gartner, and Deloitte charge six figures for.
You’ll get structured breakdowns, insights, and data points like a private analyst on demand.
Prompt to use:
"You are a world-class strategy consultant trained by McKinsey, BCG, and Bain. Act as if you were hired to provide a $300,000 strategic analysis for a client in the [INDUSTRY] sector.
Here is your mission:
1. Analyze the current state of the [INDUSTRY] market. 2. Identify key trends, emerging threats, and disruptive innovations. 3. Map out the top 3-5 competitors and benchmark their business models, strengths, weaknesses, pricing, distribution, and brand positioning. 4. Use frameworks like SWOT, Porter’s Five Forces, and strategic value chain analysis to assess risks and opportunities. 5. Provide a one-page strategic brief with actionable insights and recommendations for a hypothetical company entering or growing in this space.
Output everything in concise bullet points or tables. Make it structured and ready to paste into slides. Think like a McKinsey partner preparing for a C-suite meeting.