Ivan Zhao

Ivan Zhao, CEO and co-founder of Notion, shares his captivating journey from a small town in China to shaping a leading productivity platform. He reveals the challenges Notion faced during COVID, including a near collapse due to database constraints. Discover why he believes in 'sugar-coating the broccoli' for product appeal and the value of a lean team in fostering innovation. Zhao discusses the balance of craft and values in product development, community-led growth tactics, and how these principles paved the way for Notion's success.

Ivan Zhao, cofounder and CEO of Notion, shares insights into his philosophy of productivity and the transformative journey of Notion. He likens Notion to the 'Lego of productivity tools,' emphasizing its versatility and user-friendly design. The conversation dives into the impact of AI on software, particularly how it enhances onboarding and streamlines workflows. Zhao also discusses the future of work and education, highlighting the need for innovation over mere employee numbers. Discover how Notion plans to evolve in the AI-driven landscape!

Ivan Zhao, co-founder and CEO of Notion and a design-focused builder, explains treating computing as a material and rebuilding products around AI. He traces the shift from productivity tools to cognitive infrastructure. He discusses multimodal workflows, agent teams, organizational redesign, and why human judgment, taste, and values will define success in an AI-rich world.

Ivan Zhao, co-fondateur et CEO de Notion, partage son parcours fascinant depuis la Chine jusqu'à la tête d'une entreprise de 10 milliards de dollars. Il parle de la vision de Notion comme le 'LEGO du logiciel', évoquant sa flexibilité et l'intégration de l'IA. Ivan dévoile comment il a reconstruit Notion plusieurs fois et parle de la stratégie 'sugar-coated broccoli' pour rendre la puissance informatique accessible. Enfin, il décrit des exemples concrets d'utilisations innovantes de Notion dans des entreprises renommées.

Ivan Zhao, co-founder and CEO of Notion, dives into the power of minimalist design as a differentiator in a crowded software market. He discusses the slow arrival of AI agents in productivity and how Notion's modular system aims to bridge that gap. Reflecting on his journey from Canada to Silicon Valley, Zhao shares insights on mentorship and innovation. He also touches on the art of hiring, emphasizing casual conversations to find the right cultural fit and the balance between work and personal well-being in today's tech landscape.

Ivan Zhao and Simon Last, co-founders of Notion, share their intriguing journey of building a productivity tool from scratch. They discuss the delicate balance between product readiness and marketing strategies during the early days. The duo highlights the nurturing of a passionate company culture and the importance of user feedback. They also dive into the transformative impact of AI on tech, emphasizing curiosity and adaptability. Expect personal anecdotes that uncover entrepreneurial challenges and their vision for the future.

Ivan Zhao, co-founder and CEO of Notion, dives deep into the future of productivity tools. He discusses how RAG models enhance information retrieval, allowing users to navigate their data more intuitively. Zhao highlights Notion's innovative Q&A interface and how the integration of AI is transforming traditional software systems. He also explores the shift from rigid organization to flexible, search-driven knowledge management, and how Notion is tackling challenges within the fragmented SaaS landscape, guiding teams toward a more cohesive and creative workspace.

Patrick Collison, Stripe co-founder driving agentic commerce and Tempo. Bill Gurley, veteran VC sharing career principles and AI's rapid rise. Ivan Zhao, Notion CEO on Custom Agents for knowledge work. Reiner Pope, MadX CEO on LLM chip design. Scott Wu, Cognition CEO on developer automation. James Cadwallader, Profound CEO on marketing agents. Levant of Standard Intelligence on models trained from screen video.

Ivan Zhao, cofondateur et PDG de Notion, présente sa vision d'une plateforme de productivité révolutionnaire, qualifiée de « Lego des logiciels ». Il évoque la manière dont son parcours, d'un enfance en Chine à sa formation à Vancouver, a façonné la conception de Notion. Zhao explique également l'importance de l'intégration de l'IA dans leur infrastructure et comment il a dû reconstruire l'application plusieurs fois. Avec humour, il partage des anecdotes sur la productivité et l'automatisation, tout en restant fidèle à l'idée d'une informatique accessible à tous.

Ivan Zhao, CEO of Notion, leads the company through an AI- and agent-first product shift. He discusses Notion’s custom agents, how they automate triage and status updates, and why work tools must be agent-friendly. He also covers hiring young talent, shifting from seat-based pricing to usage/outcome models, and building agent-ready integrations like email and calendar.