Version one: just a topic
Write a short farewell message to my team for our Slack channel, about 120 words. I've been at this company for three years.
Qwen's answer, unedited:
Hey team! It’s hard to believe my final day is here. After three incredible years with you all, it’s time for me to move on to a new chapter. I want to express my deepest gratitude for the support, collaboration, and laughter we’ve shared during this journey. From late-night coding sessions to successful product launches, every milestone was made possible because of your dedication and talent. I’ve learned so much from each of you, both professionally and personally, and I’ll carry those lessons with me forever. While I’m excited about what’s next, I will truly miss our daily interactions and the unique culture we’ve built together. Please stay in touch! You can reach me at [Personal Email/LinkedIn Link]. Wishing you all continued success and happiness. Let’s keep in touch!
Mia's tips
- My counter only looks for a few things: em dashes, "it's not X, it's Y," lists of three, stock words like "journey" and "incredible," big uplifting sign-offs, and emoji.
The prompt
Write a short farewell message to my team for our Slack channel, about 120 words.
About me (use only this, don't invent anything):
- I've been a QA tester at this game studio for three years
- The one I remember: the night before a launch, the whole team camped out in the meeting room chasing a bug that only showed up on Tuesdays. It turned out to be a time zone mistake.
- I want to thank Dave, who taught me "reproduce it first, then talk"
- Next month I'm moving to Melbourne for grad school
Voice: like I normally talk in Slack. Two things I've posted before:
"New build's tested. Two small issues, details in the morning."
"Stole Dave's coffee again. I owe you one."
(Copy the tone, not these sentences.)
Don't use: lists of three, "it's not X, it's Y", em dashes, uplifting wishes or wrap-ups ("the best is yet to come", "onward and upward").
When you're done, reread it and cut or fix anything that sounds like AI wrote it.
To use it for your own message, swap in your own stuff:
Write (what it is, where it goes, who reads it, how long). Material (use only this, don't invent anything): - (specific people, moments, numbers: the details only you have) - (the one thing you actually want to say) Voice: like I normally write. Two things I've written before: "(something you wrote)" "(something else you wrote)" (Copy the tone, not these sentences.) Don't use: lists of three, "it's not X, it's Y", em dashes, uplifting wishes or wrap-ups. When you're done, reread it and cut or fix anything that sounds like AI wrote it.
Mia's tips
- The part that does the most work is the material. When all you give it is a topic, it falls back on what most people would say. One small thing that only happened to you gives it something to write about.
- Smaller models copy: even with a note not to reuse the sample lines, Qwen still slipped some of their words in. Give it one last read yourself before you send.
- I used Claude Opus 5.5, GPT-6 Astra in Codex (highest reasoning), and Qwen3.6-35B running on my own gaming PC. Same prompt for all three.
What came back
Some news. Next month I'm moving to Melbourne for grad school, so this is me signing off after three years of QA here. The one I keep coming back to is the night before a launch, when the whole team camped out in the meeting room chasing a bug that only showed up on Tuesdays. Turned out to be a time zone mistake. All of that for a time zone mistake. Dave, thanks for teaching me "reproduce it first, then talk." I'm taking that one to Melbourne with me. I'll miss working with you all. If anything weird shows up on a Tuesday, check the time zones before you book the meeting room.
Hey team. I'm heading to Melbourne next month for grad school, so this is goodbye after three years in QA here. Still remember all of us camped out in the meeting room the night before launch, chasing a bug that only showed up on Tuesdays. Turned out to be a time zone mistake. Of course it did. Thanks for the last three years, everyone. I'll miss working with you. That night in the meeting room is a weird thing to take away from three years here, but it's the one that stuck. Dave, thanks for teaching me “reproduce it first, then talk.” Taking that one with me too.
Hi everyone. After three years here testing this game studio’s releases, I’m heading to Melbourne next month for grad school. It’s been a wild ride. I’ll miss the chaos, especially that night before launch when we all camped in the meeting room hunting a bug that only appeared on Tuesdays. Turns out it was just a time zone error. Classic. Huge thanks to Dave for teaching me the golden rule: reproduce it first, then talk. That advice saved me more times than I can count. I’ll also miss stealing your coffee, Dave. I owe you one. I’ve loved working with this group. You’ve been great. Let’s stay in touch on LinkedIn. See you around.
Mia's tips
- Read it out loud before you send it. The line that feels weird to say is usually the AI one.
