First Block: Interview with Ivan Zhao and Simon Last, Co-Founders of Notion
Mar 20, 2024
auto_awesome
Discover the founding story of Notion and the journey from a programming tool to productivity software. Hear about the challenges of building a lean team, creating a global community, and scaling company culture. Explore the future of AI and get insights into the daily routines of co-founders Ivan and Simon.
Embracing creativity and exploration drove innovation in Notion's startup journey.
Building a strong community and empowering users were key factors in Notion's growth.
Deep dives
The Evolution of Notion at Notion: A Journey of Collaboration and Innovation
The co-founders discuss their dynamic and the evolution of Notion, sharing insights into their startup journey and how they navigated the early days of building their company. They reflect on their passion for creating tools that solve information-related problems and the importance of embracing creativity and exploration to drive innovation within the company.
Building a Global Community and Empowering Users at Notion
The co-founders emphasize the significance of community building and user empowerment in Notion's growth. They recall memorable interactions with users worldwide, highlighting the importance of listening to feedback and fostering a sense of collaboration and support within the company.
Embracing Change and Experimentation: Notion's Innovative Approach to Product Development
Discussing the introduction of AI into Notion, the co-founders delve into the transformative impact of technology on the future of work and collaboration. They emphasize the need for experimentation, open-mindedness, and empirical exploration in product development to adapt to the rapidly changing landscape.
Cultivating Company Culture and Values: Notion's Path to Success
The co-founders share insights on building a strong company culture and defining values that align with the company's mission and growth. They discuss the significance of talent density, recruitment strategies, and the evolution of authentic values that drive Notion's success and employee engagement.
Full video episode here: https://youtu.be/ZMrjvxCIPpY
To learn more about how Notion is supporting startups, please visit: https://ntn.so/rmCdsK
First Block, a Notion series - hosted by Notion's Co-Founder Akshay Kothari - where founders and executives from some of the world’s leading companies tell us what it was like to navigate the many firsts of their startup journey — and what they learned from that experience.
In this episode, Akshay sits down with Notion co-founders Ivan Zhao and Simon Last to talk about everything Notion — where we started, how we got where we are now, and where we’re headed.
Timestamps
00:00 Intro
01:06 The Founding Story
04:55 The Early Days
11:43 Reaching Product-Market-Fit
17:53 Building a Lean Team
19:58 Building for All: The Tradeoffs
27:09 Creating a Global Community
30:19 Scaling Company Culture
37:13 The Future of AI
44:32 A Day in the Life of Ivan Zhao and Simon Last
Get the Snipd podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share & Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode