Decoder with Nilay Patel How the head of Obsidian went from superfan to CEO
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Aug 18, 2025 
Steph Ango, CEO of Obsidian, transitioned from superfan to leader after his startup, Lumi, was sold. He shares insights into Obsidian's unique approach to note-taking, emphasizing local file storage and Markdown organization. The conversation highlights the app’s creative flexibility, community-driven plugins, and how they empower users. Ango also discusses their operational culture, prioritizing minimal meetings and user feedback, all while balancing a cautious integration of AI features in a space dominated by competitors.
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Notes As A Linked Personal Wikipedia
- Obsidian treats notes as networked 'Wikipedia-like' nodes linked together to form a personal knowledge web.
- This link-first model encourages connecting ideas over rigid folder hierarchies.
From Patchwork Tools To Durable Markdown
- Steph used Obsidian to replace a glued-together set of tools and found its Markdown-based durability and polish life-changing.
- He immediately adopted it because it solved his long-standing personal workflow problems.
Markdown For Durable, Portable Notes
- Markdown stores notes as plain text with simple formatting, which maximizes longevity and portability.
- Steph argues plain-text Markdown increases the chance your data survives long-term and remains accessible.
