How Did Claude Opus 4.6 Complete a Full Day of Goldman Analyst Work in 10 Minutes and Change the $120K Job Description?

TL;DR

Claude automates analyst work by building operating models directly in Excel and turning their live data into template-matched PowerPoint decks. The demonstrated workflow produced a three-year model in about 10 minutes and a board deck in 20 more, although an experienced analyst still needs to review the results. Read on for the workflow, access requirements, limitations, and implications for analyst roles.

Transcript

I used Opus 4.6 to build in 10 minutes what it takes a Goldman analyst to build in a day. I'm not a Goldman analyst. And then I built a board deck for that in just 20 more minutes. General intelligence just showed up in Excel and PowerPoint and its name is Claude. I built a full operating model last week. Revenue projections, cost structure, unit e... Read More

Key Insights

• Direct workbook operation: Claude in Excel is presented as more than a chatbot in a sidebar. It reads existing workbook data, interprets how tabs are organized, writes formulas, debugs them, and builds pivot tables. Its usefulness comes from operating against the analyst’s actual work rather than merely explaining spreadsheet concepts in a separate conversation.
• A complete model quickly: The demonstrated Excel output was not a single formula or isolated table. Claude built a three-year operating model containing revenue projections, cost structure, and unit economics. The speaker reports completing this stage in about 10 minutes, creating the foundation that Claude later used for the presentation.
• External review adds context: A Goldman Sachs analyst examined the generated operating model and described it as solid. According to the speaker, the analyst estimated that similar output probably would have taken him a day. That comparison supports the time-saving claim, while the transcript still stresses that experienced review is necessary.
• Live links strengthen presentations: The PowerPoint output included charts that referenced live Excel data. This means the presentation was built from the workbook’s actual figures rather than from manually copied numbers. The connection helps carry the financial analysis into executive summaries, financial slides, and key-metric pages within the same workflow.
• Templates remain usable: Claude reads slide masters, layouts, fonts, color schemes, templates, and font hierarchies before producing slides. The result can follow the design system already used by a team. The speaker contrasts this with fall 2025, when building an AI PowerPoint meant giving up an organization’s own templates.
• Combined tools create leverage: Excel and PowerPoint matter most when used together because both integrations run on the same underlying model. Claude can apply the intelligence used to construct an analysis when it generates the related board deck. This creates a shorter path from raw workbook work to a presentation intended to support decisions.
• Thirty minutes end to end: The speaker reports spending about 10 minutes on the operating model and another 20 minutes on the board deck. The combined process therefore took roughly 30 minutes. He says comparable work, including the presentation, would have required a couple of days only a few months earlier.
• Excel access is straightforward: Claude in Excel became broadly available to Pro subscribers on January 24 after being in limited beta since October of the previous year. Access costs $20 per month or more. Users install the Claude desktop application, enable the Excel integration, and then see Claude inside Excel.
• PowerPoint access costs more: Claude in PowerPoint launched on February 5 alongside the Opus 4.6 launch. At the time described, it was available only through the Max plan, which costs about $100 per month. An individual needing both Excel and PowerPoint therefore had to choose Max rather than Pro.
• Imperfection changes the workflow: The speaker repeatedly states that Claude’s Excel output is not perfect. Formulas, assumptions, and model behavior may require work and inspection from an experienced analyst. Automation therefore shifts effort toward checking and correcting the output rather than eliminating the need for financial judgment and accountability.
• Financial workflows extend further: Anthropic’s pre-built financial skills cover comparable-company analysis, discounted cash flow models, due diligence, and data packs. The existing workflow description says these skills understand the components and assumptions required for each task. They can reduce repetitive spreadsheet construction involving many connected cells.
• Structured connectors reduce transfer: Claude can use authenticated, structured financial information from providers including Moody’s, the London Stock Exchange Group, and Third Bridge. In a comparable-company analysis, it can query live information and populate the spreadsheet. This reduces the manual process of finding, transferring, and reconnecting figures from institutional data sources.

Questions & Answers

Q: How does Claude automate work in Excel and PowerPoint?

Claude works directly with Excel workbook data, tab structures, formulas, and pivot tables. It can build an operating model and then use that analysis to create a PowerPoint deck with executive summaries, financials, key metrics, and charts referencing live Excel data. It also reads the presentation’s slide masters, layouts, fonts, colors, templates, and font hierarchy. This shortens the path from analysis to decision materials while preserving the team’s existing design system.

Q: How did Claude Opus 4.6 complete analyst work in 30 minutes?

The speaker first asked Claude Opus 4.6 to build a three-year operating model with revenue projections, costs, and unit economics. That stage took about 10 minutes. Claude in PowerPoint then created the board deck in roughly 20 more minutes using the Excel analysis and an actual slide template. The total was approximately 30 minutes, including both the model and presentation.

Q: Was the Claude operating model good enough for professional use?

A Goldman Sachs analyst reviewed the model and told the speaker it was solid. He reportedly said comparable output probably would have taken him a day to build. However, the speaker also says Claude is not perfect and sometimes needs work. An experienced analyst should therefore inspect the formulas, assumptions, and final outputs before relying on them.

Q: How does Claude create PowerPoint slides from Excel data?

Claude in PowerPoint uses the completed Excel analysis as the basis for the deck. It creates executive summaries, financial slides, key metrics, and charts tied to actual workbook figures. It reads the existing presentation template, including masters, layouts, fonts, colors, and hierarchy. This allows the generated slides to match the organization’s visual system instead of looking like a generic AI deck.

Q: How can someone access Claude in Excel and PowerPoint?

Claude in Excel is available to Pro subscribers paying $20 per month or more. Users install the Claude desktop application, enable the Excel integration, and access it inside Excel. Claude in PowerPoint launched on February 5 and was limited to the Max plan at about $100 per month. At the time described, an individual who needed both integrations had to use Max.

Q: What financial analysis tasks can Claude perform?

The demonstrated workflow covers operating models with revenue projections, cost structures, and unit economics. Anthropic’s pre-built financial skills also support comparable-company analysis, discounted cash flow models, due diligence, and data packs. These workflows understand the components and assumptions required for the task. Structured data connectors can then supply live figures and populate the spreadsheet, reducing repetitive manual entry.

Q: Why do Claude’s financial data connectors matter?

The connectors give Claude access to authenticated, structured financial information from providers such as Moody’s, the London Stock Exchange Group, and Third Bridge. Claude can query that information while preparing work such as a comparable-company analysis. It can then place the resulting figures into the spreadsheet. This matters because analysts no longer have to transfer every number manually from institutional data platforms.

Q: Does Claude make junior financial analysts obsolete?

The speaker explicitly says the junior analyst role is not obsolete. His point is that organizations may question the incremental value of manual execution when Claude costs between $20 and about $100 per month, while a junior analyst can cost roughly $100,000 to $120,000 fully loaded. Consulting associates are also described as billing $300 to $500 an hour. The role therefore shifts toward judgment, validation, effective AI use, and broader responsibility.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Building the operating model: The speaker used Claude Opus 4.6 to create a three-year operating model in Excel with revenue projections, cost structure, and unit economics. The model took about 10 minutes, despite the speaker not being a Goldman analyst. A Goldman Sachs analyst reviewed the result, called it solid, and said comparable output probably would have taken him a day to build.

• Turning analysis into slides: Claude in PowerPoint then converted the Excel work into a board deck in about 20 additional minutes. It produced executive summaries, financial slides, key metrics, and charts referencing live Excel data. Rather than imposing a generic AI appearance, Claude used an actual slide template and followed its fonts, colors, layouts, slide masters, and font hierarchy.

• Explaining what actually shipped: Anthropic opened Claude in Excel to Pro subscribers on January 24 after a limited beta that began in October of the previous year. On February 5, Claude in Excel upgraded to Opus 4.6 and Claude in PowerPoint launched. The Excel integration works directly with workbook content by reading data and tab structures, writing and debugging formulas, and creating pivot tables.

• Connecting data to decisions: Because the Excel and PowerPoint integrations use the same underlying model, Claude can carry an analysis from spreadsheet construction into presentation creation. Claude-produced Excel files work well with Claude-produced PowerPoints, making it easier to move from data to a board deck in one sitting. The speaker frames this combined workflow as more consequential than either integration considered separately.

• Reframing the analyst role: Claude in Excel costs $20 per month through the Pro plan, while PowerPoint initially requires the Max plan at about $100 per month. The speaker compares those prices with junior financial analysts costing roughly $100,000 to $120,000 fully loaded and consulting associates billing $300 to $500 an hour. The argument is not that junior roles disappear, but that manual execution alone becomes less valuable.