Anthropic released 11 open-source plugins for its Claude Cowork tool. The company launched these tools on January 30. This release signals a strategic shift from foundational model provider to a direct competitor in the application layer.
The move targets legal workflows and threatens established software-as-a-service (SaaS) business models. This announcement triggered a market event analysts dubbed a SaaSpocalypse. The resulting sell-off wiped out an estimated $285 billion from software, legal tech, and financial services stocks in a single session.
Shares of Thomson Reuters and RELX, owner of LexisNexis, dropped significantly following the news. Investors reacted to the potential for Anthropic’s new capabilities to automate professional tasks.