The traditional studio model was simple: more projects meant more headcount. AI broke that equation. Today a small senior team can deliver what took twice the people only a few years ago — from first drafts to testing and documentation.
What actually changed
What changed isn't the need for humans, but where their value sits. Raw production — drafts, variants, boilerplate — became cheap and fast. Judgement — what to build, why, what's good and what isn't — became more valuable than ever, because it's now the only bottleneck.
That's why we build around a small senior core instead of a wide junior base: people who can direct the tools, critique their output, and take responsibility for the result in front of the client.
The takeaway
AI doesn't replace the studio — it redefines its optimal size. Small and senior now beats big and average.