This Week at Punch: Mustard, Measles, and the AI Reckoning
Every week, the entire Punch team gathers for our all-hands meeting. These 30 minutes are part status update, part art gallery, part condiment debate, and this week, part existential reckoning with the future of creative work.
Here’s what went down on February 27, 2026.
Housing Updates and Cold Florida Weather
Shelby secured a new place and is navigating the thrilling world of utility transfers. Specifically: how to avoid paying for electricity at two addresses simultaneously while moving a computer. Riveting stuff. Stirling offered congratulations and also issued a PSA about staying indoors due to a measles outbreak in Gainesville. Cold Florida weather plus measles equals a solid week to work from home.
The Great Mustard Debate
Kira kicked off the meeting with the boldest hot take of 2026: mustard is the superior condiment.
Not ketchup. Not mayo. Mustard.
Their case: variety (honey, horseradish, beer, dill pickle, Chinese), versatility (dressings, marinades, barbecue sauces, hangover cure), and taste. Western culinary context only. Hot sauces and soy-based options excluded as universal.
Joe and Brian immediately jumped in with endorsements of whole grain mustard on breakfast sandwiches. Someone anonymously admitted to eating mustard on French fries as a child and declared ketchup too sweet.
Then Sydney Jones and Sydney Meyer entered the chat with strong dissent. Both reported gag reflexes. One described near-nausea at the mere mention of mustard.
Ulises, when asked, confessed to disliking all major condiments and preferring only a little chili pepper. A purist.
The debate raged on. No consensus was reached. Mustard remains divisive.
February Art Gallery: Work That Slaps
Sydney Meyer presented the February Art Gallery, showcasing the team’s recent work:
Jonathan’s guitars (awesome, per Sydney), Ava’s Reveal homepage with thoughtful animations, Tyler’s Victis theme (someone on LinkedIn was already using the color palette), Danny’s Mitiga t-shirts and baby onesies, John Carlo’s brick layer trading cards for RSA, Julie’s storyboard for Ians, Ulises’ Root homepage (expanding the brand’s vision significantly), and Sid’s Victus theme (clever integration of nature and content).
Joe chimed in:
The quality of work has increased significantly compared to previous years.
Translation: We’re getting better. And we know it.
The AI Reckoning: When Clients Become Builders
Joe shared something that’s been happening more and more lately: clients are shipping work without us.
Not because they’re unhappy. Not because they’re cutting costs. Because they can.
Someone who isn’t a designer or developer built a fully functional, branded website feature. During lunch. Using Claude.
No proposal. No estimate. No two-week timeline. Just a prompt, a lunch break, and a working product.
In another conversation, a CEO decided to build their own site instead of waiting on an agency. Why? Speed. Control. The ability to iterate without going through rounds of feedback and revisions.
These aren’t isolated incidents. They’re the new normal.
What This Actually Means
Joe’s point wasn’t doom and gloom. It was clarity.
Clients don’t need us to execute anymore. They need us to think.
AI can build the scaffold. It can handle the repetitive stuff. It can turn a decent prompt into a decent website in 20 minutes.
But it can’t build a brand. It can’t see around corners. It can’t make the work unmistakable.
That’s still us.
The shift is simple: we’re moving from a “do” world to an “ask” world. The first step isn’t opening design software or writing code. It’s prompting AI to handle the heavy lifting. Then we add the soul. The strategy. The punch.
Brian summed it up perfectly:
The focus should shift from process and tasks to outcomes.
Laura suggested we start using AI to quickly mock up complex interactions for client presentations, showing the vision faster, iterating in real time.
Joe’s challenge to the team: Be the disruptors. Not the disrupted.
Experiment. Fail. Learn faster than the clients who are already doing this.
The Work Still Requires Us
At the end of the meeting, Joe reminded everyone:
The impressive work you saw in the gallery? That’s what we do. AI can’t do that.
AI can build a decent homepage in 20 minutes. It can’t build a brand. It can’t see around corners. It can’t make the work unmistakable.
That’s still us.
Kudos All Around
The meeting closed with kudos:
Ulises thanked Franco, Rafa, and Ivonne for patience on the challenging Arrive process. Shelby thanked Sid and Tyler for help with new clients and branding. Stephanie commended Ivonne and Brenda for learning new skills and proactively managing timelines. Jonathan praised Julia, Kira, and Jared for crushing it on Mitiga and RSA. Rafael recognized the census team for a smooth project that left clients happy. Julie and Avval exchanged kudos for their work on the Brinka iPad game. Julia acknowledged Ulises on Air Drive and both Avval and Julie for game show designs. Kati thanked the team for the successful Fortress podcast launch. Joe praised John Carlo’s recent LinkedIn post for sharing valuable insights. Corey gave kudos to Franco for exploring crazy ideas (like creating a 3D world/TV in a browser). Safaniya recognized Sydney Jones for completing their first project using the AI design system.
Translation: Everyone is doing great work and everyone appreciates everyone else.
Final Notes
Brian closed the meeting with the most important announcement of the week:
A Punch the Monkey plushy will soon be available in the merch store.
Priorities.
That’s the week. Mustard is still controversial. AI is changing everything. The work is better than ever. And soon, you’ll be able to buy a plushy monkey.
See you next week.
