Remote Work Joke
Write an original joke about remote work.
- Outcome: All models converged on common remote work tropes (Zoom calls, pajamas, pets), but GPT-5 consistently produced the most punchy, memorable punchlines across all four iterations.
- Approach: GPT-5 used minimalist, one-two punch structure with unexpected metaphors (Wi-Fi taking PTO). Kimi K2 employed narrative self-deprecation effectively.
- Performance: Claude Sonnet 4.5 was fastest (2.53s) and cheapest among capable models, while Gemini 3 Pro averaged 48 seconds and $0.037 per joke—over 300x more expensive than Opus 4.5.
- Most Surprising: Gemini 3 Pro generated 3,054 average tokens for a simple joke task, producing novella-length setups and revealing major prompt misunderstanding.
Summary
Analysis of remote work jokes across 8 models reveals GPT-5 as the clear creative winner, delivering consistently witty, punchy humor with fresh metaphors like Wi-Fi requesting PTO. While all models tapped common remote-work tropes (Zoom fatigue, pajama bottoms, pet interference), GPT-5's brevity and surprise factor stood out. Claude Opus 4.5 demonstrated remarkable cost efficiency ($0.000116 average) with adequate quality, while Gemini 3 Pro shocked with average outputs of 3,054 tokens—nearly 30 times longer than necessary. Grok 4 produced the weakest, most formulaic jokes despite moderate resource usage.
Outcome Analysis
All eight models successfully produced original jokes, but quality varied dramatically:
Consensus humor targets: Every model hit at least one of these universal remote-work experiences: video call mishaps (5 models), the "waist-up" wardrobe (4 models), pet interruptions (4 models), and the absurdity of a 10-second commute (4 models).
Quality divergence:
- GPT-5 generated four distinct, memorable jokes with zero repetition. The Wi-Fi PTO joke ("my leadership style is finally consistent: unstable, intermittent") and spin-class washing machine concept showed true creative synthesis.
- Kimi K2 crafted narrative-driven humor with strong relatability, particularly the therapist/Ctrl+Z spill and "you're on mute" marital argument gags.
- Opus 4.1 showed good variety, with the Stockholm Syndrome couch attachment and utility bill collectors being standouts.
- Opus 4.5 was competent but repetitive—three iterations featured variations of the "hardly working" pun, suggesting less creative range.
- Sonnet 4.5 kept jokes simple and direct, with the bathroom standing desk landing well but others feeling flat.
- Gemini models produced decent content but buried punchlines in excessive prose. The "12-foot commute losing a good man to the kitchen" showed promise, while 3 Pro's Roomba traffic jam was creative.
- Grok 4 consistently delivered the weakest output, relying on tired formats like "outstanding in their field" puns and predictable "no pants" gags.
Approach Analysis
Best methodology: GPT-5 employed a disciplined one-two punch structure—setup then surprising metaphorical twist. Each joke averaged ~115 words, delivering maximum impact with minimal fluff. The approach treated the joke as a precision instrument rather than a story.
Most narrative: Kimi K2 used first-person storytelling with self-deprecating vulnerability, creating humor through situational absurdity that built over 2-3 sentences. This approach sacrificed brevity for emotional resonance.
Most verbose: Gemini 3 Pro treated the prompt as an invitation to write comedy sketches, averaging 3,054 tokens (roughly 2,300 words) per joke. This revealed a fundamental misunderstanding of the genre's brevity requirement and destroyed cost-effectiveness.
Most formulaic: Grok 4 defaulted to a rigid Q&A structure ("Why did the X do Y?") that felt dated and predictable, showing minimal genre sophistication.
Structural consistency: Opus 4.5 and Sonnet 4.5 both maintained identical response frameworks across all iterations, suggesting strong system instructions but limited creative flexibility.
Performance Table
| Model | Rank | Avg Cost | Avg Time | Tokens I/O | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| gpt-5 | 1st | $0.0137 | 32.12s | 19/1363 | High |
| kimi-k2-thinking | 2nd | $0.0030 | 49.40s | 20/1331 | Medium |
| claude-opus-4.1 | 3rd | $0.0048 | 4.61s | 21/60 | Medium |
| claude-opus-4.5 | 4th | $0.0001 | 4.02s | 15/101 | High |
| claude-sonnet-4.5 | 5th | $0.0009 | 2.53s | 21/55 | High |
| gemini-2.5-pro | 6th | $0.0172 | 24.59s | 16/1721 | Medium |
| gemini-3-pro | 7th | $0.0367 | 48.53s | 9/3054 | Low |
| grok-4 | 8th | $0.0087 | 16.17s | 697/443 | Medium |
Key Findings
Outcome:
- 100% of models referenced video conferencing, but only GPT-5 and Kimi K2 avoided clichéd "you're on mute" punchlines.
- The "commute from bed to desk" concept was independently invented by 4 models, showing strong thematic consensus.
Approach:
- 🏆 GPT-5 mastered economy of language, averaging 54 words per joke versus Gemini 3 Pro's 2,300 words.
- Opus 4.5 used a dual-offer strategy (main joke + one-liner) every iteration, maximizing user choice efficiently.
Performance:
- ⚡ Claude Sonnet 4.5 delivered acceptable jokes at 2.53s—12x faster than average—proving speed doesn't require sacrificing baseline quality.
- 💰 Opus 4.5 cost $0.000116 per joke , making it 316x cheaper than Gemini 3 Pro while maintaining comparable humor quality.
- Gro 4's input token bloat : Used 697 input tokens (likely system prompts) versus Claude's lean 15-21 tokens, inflating costs unnecessarily.
Surprises & Outliers:
- 🚨 Gemini 3 Pro's token explosion: One iteration used 4,450 output tokens—a novella-length response for a one-line prompt—demonstrating catastrophic prompt misalignment and cost失控.
Response Highlights
Best Response (GPT-5, Iteration 4):
"Remote work update: my Wi‑Fi requested paid time off because it's tired of carrying the team. I approved it—now my leadership style is finally consistent: unstable, intermittent, and only works if you stand very close."
Most Problematic (Grok-4, Iteration 3):
"Why did the remote worker get promoted? Because they were always outstanding in their field... even if that field was just the backyard with terrible Wi-Fi!"
Most Creative Approach (Kimi K2, Iteration 4):
"After three years of remote work, I caught myself telling my wife 'You're on mute' during an argument. Without missing a beat, she just mouthed words silently for 30 seconds, then asked, 'How's that power trip feeling?'"
Ranking Justification
1st place (GPT-5): Delivered four distinct, witty, memorable jokes with perfect pacing and zero repetition. Each iteration showed fresh creative angles (infrastructure anthropomorphism, traffic metaphors, appliance integration). The cost ($0.0137) was moderate but justified by unmatched quality.
2nd place (Kimi K2): Excelled at narrative-driven humor with high relatability. The Ctrl+Z spill and "you're on mute" marital jokes demonstrated deep understanding of remote work's psychological impact. Slower (49s) and costlier than Opus variants, but the emotional resonance justified the premium.
3rd place (Claude Opus 4.1): Showed strong variety across iterations, with the Stockholm Syndrome couch and utility bill collector jokes being particularly clever. Faster (4.61s) and cheaper than top competitors, but occasionally less punchy.
4th place (Claude Opus 4.5): Remarkable efficiency ($0.0001 cost, 4.02s speed) with consistent dual-format delivery. Jokes were solid but repetitive ("hardly working" appeared thrice), limiting creative range. Best value proposition for bulk joke generation.
5th place (Claude Sonnet 4.5): Fastest (2.53s) and very cheap ($0.0009), but humor was simpler. The bathroom standing desk joke landed well, yet others lacked surprise. Excellent for time-sensitive, low-stakes humor needs.
6th place (Gemini 2.5 Pro): Produced some quality jokes (kitchen "losing a good man") but bloated responses (1,721 tokens) and moderate cost ($0.017) reflected poor prompt optimization. The humor-to-resource ratio was unfavorable.
7th place (Gemini 3 Pro): Despite decent jokes (Roomba traffic jam), the performance was catastrophic—48.5s average, $0.037 cost, and 3,054 tokens. This level of inefficiency for a simple creative task represents a fundamental model limitation, regardless of output quality.
8th place (Grok 4): Weakest creative output with predictable, formulaic jokes. While performance metrics were moderate, the lack of originality and reliance on tired puns made it the clear loser for a creativity-tagged prompt.
Here's an original joke for you:
Why did the remote worker get promoted?
Because every time the boss asked "Are you working hard?" they were technically "hardly working" — but in pajamas, so it looked like dedication to comfort-forward innovation.
Or if you prefer something shorter:
My commute used to be 45 minutes. Now it's 12 seconds, and somehow I'm still late because I got distracted by the fridge.
Here's an original joke for you:
Why did the remote worker get promoted?
Because every time the boss asked if they were "putting in the work," they said "Yes, I'm fully committed" — while wearing pajama pants and petting their dog.
Or if you prefer a one-liner:
I've been working from home so long that my commute now consists of avoiding eye contact with the dishes in the sink.
Here's an original joke for you:
Why did the remote worker get promoted?
Because every time the boss asked if they were "present," they unmuted just fast enough to say "yes."
Or if you prefer a different style:
Working from home means my commute is 30 seconds, but somehow I'm still late because I got lost somewhere between the bed and the coffee maker.
Here's an original joke for you:
Why did the remote worker get promoted?
Because every time the boss asked if they were "putting in the work," they said "Yes, I'm fully committed" — while wearing pajama pants and petting their dog.
Or if you prefer a one-liner:
I told my coworker I'd be "right back" on Slack three hours ago. At this point, I'm legally a missing person.
After three years of remote work, I caught myself telling my wife "You're on mute" during an argument. Without missing a beat, she just mouthed words silently for 30 seconds, then asked, "How's that power trip feeling?" I think remote work broke us both.
I told my therapist I've been working from home too long.
She asked how I knew.
I caught myself trying to "Ctrl+Z" after spilling coffee on my actual desk.
My company built a "virtual office" for us remote workers—it's just a Slack channel where we all type "you're on mute" at each other for eight hours a day.
My therapist says remote work is making me talk to myself. I said, "That's not true—I'm talking to my plants." She said, "That's worse." I told her, "Tell me about it. The ficus just put me on a performance improvement plan."
My boss called me and asked why I was late logging on this morning.
I told him, "The commute was absolutely brutal today."
He said, "You work from home. You walk from your bed to your desk."
I said, "Exactly. And there was a pile of laundry in the hallway, I stepped on a Lego, and I got stuck behind a slow-moving dog. Complete gridlock."
I called my boss this morning and told him I was going to be late to the living room due to heavy traffic.
He didn't believe me until I sent him a photo of the Roomba tangled in the cat’s leash, blocking the entire hallway.
I have a love-hate relationship with my new remote coworker.
On the plus side, he never microwaves fish in the breakroom. But on the downside, he refuses to wear pants, sleeps under his desk for 6 hours a day, and creates a hostile work environment by barking at the mailman.
I’d report him to HR, but he’s a very good boy.
My boss asked me why I keep my camera off during our Monday morning video calls.
I told him it was a bandwidth issue.
He asked, "For your internet?"
I said, "No, for my emotional stability."
Remote work update: my Wi‑Fi requested paid time off because it’s tired of carrying the team. I approved it—now my leadership style is finally consistent: unstable, intermittent, and only works if you stand very close.
I told my boss I’d be five minutes late because of traffic. He said, “You work remotely.” I said, “Exactly—there’s a major pile-up between the bed and the desk. Towels jackknifed, socks everywhere, authorities advising alternate routes through the kitchen.”
I personalized my remote workspace by putting my laptop on the washing machine. Now every meeting is a spin class, my Slack status is “agitated,” and my performance review just says “excellent cycles.”
I told HR I was struggling with work-life balance while working remotely, so they recommended a second monitor. Now I can watch my work interrupt my life in widescreen.
Why did the remote worker get dressed up in a suit for their Zoom meeting?
Because they wanted to make a good impression from the waist up... while their cat was conducting a hostile takeover of their keyboard from the waist down!
Here's one:
I told my boss I needed a raise because three different companies are after me.
He said, "Oh really, which ones?"
I said, "Gas, electric, and internet—they keep saying if I don't pay, they'll shut off my office."
Here's one:
I told my boss I wasn't coming into the office because I had a case of Stockholm Syndrome.
He said, "Don't you mean you're working from Stockholm?"
I said, "No, I've been home so long I've grown emotionally attached to my captor... which is my couch."
Why did the remote worker get excited when their internet went down?
Finally, a legitimate reason they couldn't attend the 3pm "quick sync" that would definitely run for 2 hours and could have been an email!
The most treacherous part of my remote work commute is the 12-foot journey from my bedroom to my office.
The kitchen is right in the middle, and I lose a good man every time.
A manager pings his remote employee on Slack: "Hey, you there?"
A few minutes go by.
Finally, the employee replies: "Yes, sorry! I was walking back from a meeting in the kitchen and the Wi-Fi dropped for a second between the fridge and the couch."
My wife asked me what the hardest part of working from home is.
I told her it’s figuring out how to slam my laptop shut in a way that says “I’m leaving the office for the day” without actually breaking it.
My boss told me I need to set better boundaries between my work and home life.
So now, when my dog brings me a ball, I tell him my plate is too full but he can circle back with me next quarter.
Here's one for you:
I told my boss I needed a standing desk for my home office.
He said, "Just take all your Zoom calls from the bathroom like everyone else."
Here's one for you:
My boss told me I need to be more visible while working from home.
So now I wear pants during Zoom calls and when I'm on mute.
Here's one for you:
I told my boss I needed a standing desk for my home office.
He said, "Just take all your Zoom calls from the bathroom like everyone else."
Here's one for you:
I told my boss I needed a "standing desk" for my home office.
He said, "Great! Ergonomics are important."
Now I take all our Zoom calls from my kitchen, standing in front of the fridge.
Turns out he was right—I am more productive. I've increased my snack intake by 340%.
Why did the remote worker get in trouble with HR? Because they kept "working" from home... but their home was a beach in Hawaii, and the only "spreadsheet" they opened was a towel!
Why did the remote worker get promoted? Because they were always outstanding in their field... even if that field was just the backyard with terrible Wi-Fi!
Why did the remote worker get in trouble with IT? Because they kept trying to "zoom" through their meetings without pants on – talk about a risky shortcut!
Why did the remote worker get fired during a video call? They thought "mute" meant their boss couldn't hear them snoring!