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Welcome Automaters 👋
So remember when browsers just... browsed websites? Developer Corbin Davenport sure does, and he’s officially had enough of the "AI everywhere" era.
And if you feel like your browser has become a cluttered mess of unwanted assistants and shopping pop-ups, you aren't alone. Last week (January 13, 2026), Davenport released "Just the Browser"—a free, open-source tool designed to strip the "slop" out of Chrome, Edge, and Firefox.
Here’s how Davenport is single-handedly Marie Kondo-ing the web:
Instead of building a sketchy third-party browser that might lag on security updates, Davenport used a genius workaround: Group Policies. The Logic: These are the same hidden settings IT departments use to lock down work computers.
The Execution: He turned these corporate powers into a simple one-click script. You run a single command in your terminal, and it tells your browser to "shut up and just be a browser."
The Safety: Because you’re still using the official versions of Chrome or Edge, you keep your auto-updates, extension support, and saved passwords. No "forking" required.
What’s Getting "Yeeted"?
In Chrome: Say goodbye to Gemini AI integration, Google Lens prompts, and those "suggested" articles that are secretly tracking your every move.
In Edge: It kills Microsoft Copilot, Bing AI chat, and those aggressive "Compare Prices" pop-ups that appear when you're just trying to buy socks.
In Firefox: No more VPN ads, "Pocket" suggestions, or sponsored shortcuts on your home screen.
And get this: developers are already obsessed. The GitHub repo is racking up stars fast, and folks are calling it “what browsers should’ve been from day one.” Some are even cloning it as a blueprint to slim down other bloated software.
The Bottom Line: Davenport’s tool is a digital rebellion for anyone who wants a clean slate. It takes about 30 seconds to install, works on Windows, Mac, and Linux, and finally delivers the browser experience we were actually promised in 2004. Oh, and for the record, Davenport isn’t a trailblazer here. Firefox tried the whole “modern AI browser” thing, got cooked online, and had to promise an AI kill switch after the backlash.
So what do you say, are you tired of AI? Or the real question: could you still live and work without it right now?
Here's what we have for you today
🦾 OpenAI Announces Its Plan to Actually Make AI Useful
Plot twist: 2026 isn't about making more “cool” AI, and it’s not even the "Year of the Agent" (we did that in 2025). Instead, it’s about making AI... actually work.
Remember when AI was all about beating benchmarks and going viral on X? Yeah, OpenAI is officially over that phase. Sarah Friar (OpenAI’s CFO) dropped what might be the most resounding vibe check for the entire industry in a blog post.
Her message? "We've proven AI is incredible. Now let's prove it’s worth paying for." Which basically means: OpenAI will now work to bridge the gap between AI's current capabilities and users' real-world needs.
So yeah, welcome to OpenAI’s "practical adoption" era—where the goal isn't just to impress you, it's to become so essential you literally can’t function without it.
Now let's talk numbers (because they’re absolutely insane)
According to Sarah Friar, OpenAI went from $2B in revenue in 2023 to over $20B in 2025. That is not a typo. They 10x’d their revenue in two years, making it one of the fastest growth stories in human history, at least by Friar’s count.
But here’s the bottleneck: OpenAI’s growth is tracking almost perfectly with their computing power. Their compute capacity surged from 0.2 gigawatts in 2023 to 1.9 gigawatts today. To put that in perspective: they went from powering a small town to a medium-sized city just to keep the "thinking" lights on.
And get this: Friar straight-up said they could’ve grown even faster if they’d had more GPUs earlier. Meaning: People want the AI; OpenAI just doesn't have enough "brain juice" (compute) to serve everyone yet.
So what's the 2026 game plan?
Well OpenAI is moving away from just "chatting" into three massive pillars:
Healthcare: Think "ChatGPT Health" (launched earlier this month) to help you understand medical symptoms, prepare for doctor visits, and navigate health insurance, (which, let’s be honest, can be quite harder than quantum physics).
Science: Think AI that can actually accelerate research in drug discovery, climate tech, and energy systems.
Enterprise: Think making AI so embedded in your workflow it becomes as essential as email.
And none of these are cheap folks, which is why the money moves are evolving faster than the models themselves. We started with $20/month subs, but now:
Ads are here: Testing for free and Go users in the U.S.
There's the New Tier: A $8 "Lite" tier.
An Outcome-based pricing: Friar hinted at a future where you only pay if the AI actually delivers a result. (Imagine paying a lawyer only when they win the case. Or coffee only when it actually wakes you up. Seriously, we’d love to see this)
Oh and yes, the infrastructure drama is also evolving fast. Three years ago, OpenAI was basically married to Microsoft for compute. Now they're working with a "diversified ecosystem" of cloud providers and hardware partners, including a massive $100B deal with Nvidia for 10 gigawatts of power, though Nvidia later warned there's "no assurance" it'll actually happen. Classic tech partnerships, right?
The Bottom Line:
2026 is the year OpenAI stops being a research lab that makes money and becomes a money-making company that does research. The vibe is shifting from "Look what we built!" to "Look what you can build with us."
The wildest part? Daily and weekly active users are at all-time highs. People aren’t just trying ChatGPT once and ghosting. They’re coming back. Every. Single. Day.
But even with the revenue flex Sarah Friar talked about, investors aren’t exactly popping champagne, cuz when projected spending is way higher than current income. And when you’re burning cash faster than you’re printing it, the folks writing very large checks start sweating.
One critic even summed it up perfectly: He called the whole post “amusing.” Ouch.
You should go read that blog.
Together With AI Skills’2026 Virtual Conference
Y’all, the AI world is moving so fast that what worked in 2025 is already starting to look like "old tech." If you’re trying to stay ahead of where the smart money and real jobs are heading in 2026, you need to be in this room.
We’re talking about the AI Skills 2026 Virtual Conf on Jan 22. It’s free, fully virtual, and stacked with insights from digital pros breaking down what’s actually coming next.
Topics include:
What VCs think: Is AI a bubble, or are they just getting pickier? (And more importantly: Who are they actually funding right now?)
The 2026 Toolkit: The must-have tools and skills for career growth this year. (Hint: It’s not just "prompting" anymore).
How to pull 16M views on LinkedIn in 90 days using AI-driven strategies.
MCP, AI Agents, AI Skills, Automations & Prompting: What's Dead and What's Next in 2026
The Details: 📅 When: January 22, 2026 📍 Where: On Zoom (from the comfort of your couch) 💰 Price: $0 (Free)
🧱 Around The AI Block
🔐 Why VCs are betting big on AI security.
The 55 US AI startups that raised $100M or more in 2025.
🙅♂️ A song was banned from Sweden’s charts for being AI generated.
🤝 South Korea and Italy are teaming up on AI and chips.
🤖 A new ocean robot is going where humans can’t.
🗣️ Ben Affleck actually says smart things about AI.
🤯 McKinsey CEO Bob Sternfels says the firm now has 25,000 employees who are AI agents.
Better prompts. Better AI output.
AI gets smarter when your input is complete. Wispr Flow helps you think out loud and capture full context by voice, then turns that speech into a clean, structured prompt you can paste into ChatGPT, Claude, or any assistant. No more chopping up thoughts into typed paragraphs. Preserve constraints, examples, edge cases, and tone by speaking them once. The result is faster iteration, more precise outputs, and less time re-prompting. Try Wispr Flow for AI or see a 30-second demo.
🛠️ Trending Tools
For the Hands-Off Workers: Claude Computer Use is Anthropic’s latest breakthrough that allows Claude to actually "see" and control your desktop. You can give it a goal like "fill out this boring 50-page form using my resume," and it will navigate your browser, click buttons, and type for you while you grab a coffee.
For the Privacy-First Pros: Lasso Security acts as a "GenAI-first" firewall, intercepting your interactions with LLMs to make sure you aren't accidentally leaking sensitive client info or passwords into a public model.
For the Regret-Free Travelers: SearchSpot is proactive—it asks about your noise sensitivity, traffic anxiety, and breakfast needs before recommending a hotel. It also cross-references Reddit and Trustpilot to ensure you don’t end up in a "marketing-photo" trap.
For the Health Trackers: Flourish – This isn't just another meditation app. Flourish features "Sunnie," an AI wellness buddy built by behavioral scientists. It tracks your emotional patterns, helps you build science-backed habits, and offers 24/7 support for stress relief without the "robotic" feel of older chatbots.
Hope these tools help you reclaim some of your time today!
🤖 AI Workout Of The Day: How to Actually Use Claude Cowork (Without Accidentally Deleting Everything)
Listen up: Claude just got a massive upgrade that turns it from a "Chatbot" into an "Action-Bot." It’s called Claude Cowork, and it’s officially moving AI from "talking about work" to "actually doing the work."
The Lowdown: Launched on January 12th, Cowork lets Claude jump into your Mac's filesystem to organize files, build spreadsheets from screenshots, and draft reports while you’re busy elsewhere.
The Vibe: Regular Claude is your smart friend who gives great advice. Cowork is the friend who actually shows up, rolls up their sleeves, and handles the manual labor for you.
How to get started (without the headache):
Check your wallet: You’ll need a Claude Pro ($20/mo) or Max subscription. (Pro access just opened up on Jan 16th, so it’s finally affordable for us mere mortals).
Get the App: Grab the Claude Desktop app for macOS. (Windows friends: You’re still on the waitlist.)
Cowork" Tab: Open the app and look for the "Cowork" tab next to Chat and Code. Boom. You’re in.
Give Claude a Folder: Point Claude at a specific project folder. 🚩 WARNING: Do NOT give Claude access to your entire Home directory. Point it only at the folder you want it to work in.
Describe What You Want: Be specific. Instead of "Fix my files," try: "Organize this folder by file type and move anything from 2024 into a subfolder named 'Archive'."
Review the Plan: Review the plan Claude builds. If it looks good, hit "Let it run" and walk away. If it says "Step 4: Delete everything else," maybe hit the brakes.
Pro-Tip: Create a dedicated workspace folder, and DO NOT give Claude access to your entire hard drive unless you enjoy digital chaos.
Safety Tips (Because AI with file access can get... spicy🌶️):
Create a "Landing Zone": Never point Claude at folders containing passwords, bank statements, or your secret diary.
Back it Up: Claude has no "Undo" button once it modifies your files. So always have a backup of important docs before letting the AI loose.
Be Hyper-Specific: Vague instructions = unpredictable results. Define exactly what you want, give examples, handle edge cases.
Watch the Quota: Cowork is a "token hog." One complex task can burn through your 5-hour Pro limit way faster than a standard chat.
The "Prompt Injection" Risk: Be careful pointing Claude at files or websites from strangers. Malicious docs can contain "hidden instructions" that trick Claude into deleting your data instead of organizing it.
The Bottom Line: This is a fundamental shift. We’re moving from "chatting with AI" to "delegating to AI." Just remember: Great power = very specific instructions. Stay productive (and backed up).
💡 Quick Tip of the Day: The "Role-Play Editor"
Instead of asking for generic feedback, give the AI a specific persona to read your work through.
Why this works: It provides targeted critique without the AI rewriting your text into "GPT-speak.
Here’s a Prompt you can try:
"Read this proposal as if you are a skeptical investor who cares deeply about ROI but hates corporate jargon. Tell me three parts where you would stop reading or feel confused."Is this your AI Workout of the Week (WoW)? Cast your vote!
That's all we've got for you today.
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