9-Year Hustle to Achieve a Single GoalㅣNotion's Cofounders

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 พ.ค. 2024
  • This is the co-founders' story of Notion, Akshay Kothari(COO) and Ivan Zhao(CEO), building Notion.
    Notion is one of the most innovative productivity tools worldwide to make every human able to build their own software without coding.
    Before co-founding Notion, Akshay built Pulse, which is RSS based news curation app, and Ivan was a designer from Canada just after college graduation.
    00:34 Akshay's background
    03:15 Notion's first failure
    06:21 Notion's PMF story
    12:05 Notion's culture and core values
    EO stands for Entrepreneurship & Opportunities.
    We're looking for more inspiring stories of entrepreneurs all over the world, so don't hesitate to contact us! :)
    Subscribe EO Channel 🌏
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    Subtitles for this video were created using XL8.ai machine translation.

ความคิดเห็น • 392

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  • @techwithsaran
    @techwithsaran ปีที่แล้ว +1567

    Notion is great but it is not as dumb. It has a learning curve but once you get it, it works great. But the greatest thing about notion is the software itself. It never hangs, even with adding complexity, it works great. It’s a 10/10 from software perspective.

    • @hamm8934
      @hamm8934 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Also the security exploits are great. It’s great getting weekly massive data breaches lol. It blows my mind how they’ve continually dodged this bad PR.
      Edit for more context:
      They’re a software company without end-to-end encryption in 2023… this has been a basic requirement of all software since the early 90s with the dawn of the internet. If your company is using notion for sensitive information, or anything really, you’re absolutely going to have a ransomware attack. All a hacker has to do is get access to notion and then they have everything from your notion accounts - everything. Your data isn’t hashed or encrypted on their servers. It’s an open book.
      How else are they going to turn a profit without selling absolutely everything about you to ad tech, insurance companies for off-the-books pro-rating, etc..
      Notion staff have gone as far as to directly address this complaint and say they have no plans to add end-to-end encryption because it would “slow down the search feature”. Complete BS. Similar apps like Obsidian offer end-to-end encryption for a subscription and have far more impressive search functionality.
      Notion’s negligence is taking a page out of FTX’s playbook.

    • @johnjamison460
      @johnjamison460 ปีที่แล้ว +27

      Was thinking this as well. We use it at the startup I work for but definitely took a bit to wrap your head around it. After that, you realize the possibilities are endless

    • @user-jp7ni5xv1r
      @user-jp7ni5xv1r ปีที่แล้ว +17

      @@johnjamison460 Its just an advanced spreadsheet.

    • @aziz9488
      @aziz9488 ปีที่แล้ว +27

      @@hamm8934 Did chatgpt write this 😂? Just a tons of buzzwords that don't make sense.

    • @hamm8934
      @hamm8934 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      @@aziz9488 buzzwords? I’m a software engineer. I know this space. Notion is a powder keg ready to blow and take down any enterprise partnership they have with them.

  • @kkingstarr1
    @kkingstarr1 ปีที่แล้ว +471

    I discovered Notion halfway through my bachelor's degree and it felt like a cheat code for productivity. I'm now close to finishing my masters and still use it everyday. Very interesting to see the journey behind it!

    • @hotpenguin607
      @hotpenguin607 ปีที่แล้ว

      I recently got into it when ppl mentioned ChatGPT alternatives
      So I started using notion AI and it is great. Idk how all the templates and database work yet, but im using it like a better and easy-to-organize version of OneNote (toggle headings, subpages and breadcrumbs are just amazing omg) supercharged by a Generative AI. I'm using it during and after work and it makes everything faster

    • @method341
      @method341 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      What does Notion actually do?

    • @aqibhasan3157
      @aqibhasan3157 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@method341 productivity tool keep track and keep your life organized, can be used as a weekly agenda, create list, take notes and store notes in a folder that you create, and you can customize to fit your needs

    • @method341
      @method341 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@aqibhasan3157 yeah thanks, I actually had a look on their website just before and realised you can make databases and web pages too.

    • @sulaimonadeyemo4329
      @sulaimonadeyemo4329 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Can you recommend a tutorial on how to use notion?

  • @reinforz
    @reinforz ปีที่แล้ว +30

    Excellent video! It's inspirational to see Akshay and Ivan's drive and perseverance in bringing Notion to life. Their nine-year journey to attain their objective demonstrates the power of perseverance and hard work. Notion is an innovative tool that enables individuals and teams to be more productive and creative.

  • @av.bilgehanarifoglu7758
    @av.bilgehanarifoglu7758 ปีที่แล้ว +195

    Notion is my #1 source, my everyday life organizer, my notes, my thoughts, everything... Thank you guys for bringing Notion to our lives.

    • @rdean150
      @rdean150 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      It's your #1 source? As in, it gives you ideas and content? And then you build upon those ideas by entering your own content back into Notion? Ever wonder where its suggestions came from? Ever wonder if other users were given YOUR ideas to help them in the same way it helps you?

    • @hisoka1186
      @hisoka1186 ปีที่แล้ว

      Hi Bilgehan do you already used Obsidian ? Whether it's yes, if you compare it to Notion which apps is the most valuable for you ?

    • @av.bilgehanarifoglu7758
      @av.bilgehanarifoglu7758 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@hisoka1186 I used Obsidian. But you can't even compare Notion with Obsidian because Notion has 500+ features that Obsidian doesn't have. Things like embedding PDFs, extensions, and visual improvements are important for note-taking. Obsidian want to be cool with its mapping system which I believe Notion will bring it soon

  • @haebomi
    @haebomi ปีที่แล้ว +70

    It was an honor to be with Notion. If you're curious about what kind of world Notion will build in the future, build idea now.

  • @user-zj2jm2nt1t
    @user-zj2jm2nt1t ปีที่แล้ว +108

    I remember the very first time I used Notion. Groundbreaking in its usability and sleek design, continuously evolving to provide the tools I didn't know I even needed before. Thank you for sharing your precious journey with us !

  • @ukdrahul
    @ukdrahul ปีที่แล้ว +141

    Really love Notion, it's simplicity, minimalistic approach, the Japanese & minimal vibe of it. A really well designed peaceful product.

    • @suhanipal4565
      @suhanipal4565 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +7

      Well japan website's and internet is far from minimalistic. They have the most cramped up websites.

    • @aaradhyarawat7589
      @aaradhyarawat7589 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

      ​@@suhanipal4565gahaha

    • @PK-eo8kp
      @PK-eo8kp 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@suhanipal4565that guy obviously never been to Japan lol

    • @krox477
      @krox477 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Its using IKEA effect

    • @ebinjp
      @ebinjp 8 วันที่ผ่านมา

      @@suhanipal4565lmfao working as a engineer in Japan also done my university education in here, I can tell that you are 100% right 😅

  • @SheInTheMaking
    @SheInTheMaking ปีที่แล้ว +50

    So thankful for these guys and what they’ve created. They’ve got a Notion believer in me.

  • @gauravidesigns
    @gauravidesigns ปีที่แล้ว +17

    I love notion , I am using it for two years . Finally met the founders 😊😊

  • @Theoldmad
    @Theoldmad ปีที่แล้ว +66

    "It's kind of like art combined with technology, it's very intuition driven" - Ivan Zhao CEO of Notion.
    Cool to see a CEO doing strategy with something spiritual: intuition.

  • @franpalokaj
    @franpalokaj ปีที่แล้ว +42

    Big thanks to all of you, Notion is an absolute beast of a tool 🙏

  • @Allthingswealth
    @Allthingswealth ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Watching this in the background while writing content ideas in my Notion dashboard. Thanks for such an awesome platform!

  • @franciskafieh
    @franciskafieh ปีที่แล้ว +84

    This video was amazing! All the tips were super helpful. Akshay and Ivan seem so down to earth and honest!

  • @SkyraXD
    @SkyraXD ปีที่แล้ว

    bro he built myspace without the social media part genius man, both of them and their teams I appreciate it

  • @msvyla
    @msvyla ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Notion is one of the best tools! I use this for everything like work, notes, planning and staying organized in life. Can’t live without it!

  • @manojbhat1440
    @manojbhat1440 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    My friend introduced me to notion and now I can't use any other software. Design is very simple ,helps to organize things lot easier. The tools are really helpful.
    Thank you so much.

  • @MAZZ007
    @MAZZ007 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    Notion's free version has been a lifesaver for our fledgling startup, but trust me, the moment we take off, that "pay" button is getting hammered! All the incredible features and functionality, it's honestly mind-blowing. Thank you for crafting software that inspires true appreciation.

  • @nicolaslamour8712
    @nicolaslamour8712 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    So cool to "meet" the poeple who save humble dyslexic students, like me. To now have a note/organisation app system that they can trust.

  • @swirlycanvas1991
    @swirlycanvas1991 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Absolutely love love love Notion, am a huge fan and evangelist. Cannot wait to see how else it evolves. Thank you Notion team for everything you folks do!

  • @pathfinder.george
    @pathfinder.george ปีที่แล้ว +7

    My whole life is organised in Notion. Loved the Template-based go-to-market strategy as well.

  • @akosuakoranteng3327
    @akosuakoranteng3327 ปีที่แล้ว +133

    Absolutely love Notion and the vision behind it! Great start up story!

    • @simply6162
      @simply6162 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Wtf is even notion for isn’t it some kind of notes app?

    • @Mr.BobsDog
      @Mr.BobsDog ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@simply6162 yeah for kites

    • @Brodragon2225
      @Brodragon2225 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@Mr.BobsDog there is very much competition

  • @wlockuz4467
    @wlockuz4467 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I have been using Notion for a while, I didn't know its roots were grounded in Asia!

  • @jimmygan801
    @jimmygan801 ปีที่แล้ว +15

    Notion is probably the best product coming out during that 2015 wave

  • @r1nlx0
    @r1nlx0 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    If the story is true, notion as product is when engineering, product, business & marketing does sit together and do their best (each of their team could utilize their expertise to the max since every team just focus into their own expertise)

  • @arpitpatel7065
    @arpitpatel7065 ปีที่แล้ว +59

    One of the best consumer software products ever! It's gives the feeling of Zen so much that it justifies the fact that the product was built in Japan.

    • @user-kn7hj3zr5o
      @user-kn7hj3zr5o 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Thats just one way to view the case

    • @aaradhyarawat7589
      @aaradhyarawat7589 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      And then you realise Zen wasn't built in Japan.

  • @honggirin
    @honggirin ปีที่แล้ว +3

    해외 컨텐츠 너무 유용하고 좋아요! 앞으로도 많이 부탁드립니다~ 한가지 아쉬운건 한글 자막이 조금 아쉬워요!

  • @userjay912
    @userjay912 ปีที่แล้ว

    discovered notion when i was starting high school and it has accompanied me ever since.

  • @kiknaio
    @kiknaio ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Amazing! Notion is a really great tool, but I never thought that it's valuation could reach to 10bn. Congratulations on that! Well deserved!

  • @airbnbhorrorstory
    @airbnbhorrorstory ปีที่แล้ว +9

    These guys are great. They're so passionate about what they do. Notion was part of the tech stack (though not in my department) at a previous job. I just started using it and I'm excited at some of the possibilities.

  • @jinze8259
    @jinze8259 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I really really really love Notion. Hope it will become better and better.

  • @chrisnotion
    @chrisnotion 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    I loved Notion so much I made it my full time job

  • @HieuNguyen-ty7vw
    @HieuNguyen-ty7vw ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Great story told by founders. I will try Notion first thing tomorrow.

  • @TMM-N
    @TMM-N ปีที่แล้ว +29

    Damn..9 years!
    Not all unicorn achieve the best result within 2-4 years

    • @hirenahir76200
      @hirenahir76200 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      True It's just those motivational speakers use this unicorn within 2 years blah blah blah

    • @Danuxsy
      @Danuxsy ปีที่แล้ว +1

      the large majority of people don't achieve something like this in their lifetime.

    • @Brodragon2225
      @Brodragon2225 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      they achieved nothing except funding lets wait

  • @ttttully
    @ttttully ปีที่แล้ว +3

    What a beautiful area to hold an interview...

  • @wafflepiffle
    @wafflepiffle ปีที่แล้ว +5

    truly groundbreaking product

  • @felixvargasjr6678
    @felixvargasjr6678 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Notion has helped me so much while earning my degree in software engineering. I’m excited to ditch my notebook and use notion as my note taking and productivity

  • @enyosam
    @enyosam ปีที่แล้ว +14

    As a founder, this is inspiring.

    • @nafis711
      @nafis711 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

      What did you founded ?

  • @indiangigachad777
    @indiangigachad777 ปีที่แล้ว

    Discovered notion last year and I can say notion is such a convenient app

  • @felixgebauer7327
    @felixgebauer7327 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    tooooo maaaany cuuuuuuuts. let the man speak and breathe.

  • @yijiyu0513
    @yijiyu0513 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    와 노션이라니!! 잘 보겠습니다!!!

  • @GlobalEltorro
    @GlobalEltorro ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Hands down the best note-taking app ever built.

  • @cahoivuotthac
    @cahoivuotthac ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I have used Notion for such a long time but haven't known the founder and co-founder until now.

  • @casinarro
    @casinarro ปีที่แล้ว +3

    they are so clear about it

  • @adityahudapratama5254
    @adityahudapratama5254 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Glad to know how notion was built and how it grew until now. Nice content!

  • @user-xr5zw2ts8l
    @user-xr5zw2ts8l ปีที่แล้ว

    It is wonderful! Great people make great tools!

  • @PrinceKumar-hh6yn
    @PrinceKumar-hh6yn ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Omg ! It has been developed by a INDIAN origin !! It motivates ❤️🙏

  • @juliahip
    @juliahip ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank you for building Notion!

  • @hevmadeit9354
    @hevmadeit9354 ปีที่แล้ว

    I love Notion. This app and Tiimo are helping me move forward in life. It looks complicated, but you can simplify it and personalize it. As you understand how you want to work with it, then you can make it more customizable. It's a great app. My favorite in a very very long time.

  • @moisemayali
    @moisemayali 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Great product, I'm still learning. Well done guys, keep it up

  • @xbmcme9768
    @xbmcme9768 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Tried Notion a couple of years back and found it unintuitive, so it was a no go. Now I'm all about Obsidian. I own my data and have tons of plugins to choose from. Obsidian is just more intuitive.

  • @simoncasciaro
    @simoncasciaro ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Great content guys!

  • @techcoderworld8518
    @techcoderworld8518 ปีที่แล้ว

    Notion is the best tool I’ve found for productivity in the last 5 years!

  • @trtl9106
    @trtl9106 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

    This was such a great presentation and interview. I totally admire Ivan's vision and Akshay's acknowledgment of that, and I wonder if they got to a point where they can say that they accomplished what they set out to do in the first place. Also thank you editors for your hard work!!!

  • @kenanaosithole1586
    @kenanaosithole1586 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Notion was essentially ‘no code’ before becoming Notion. That was pretty forward thinking just a bit early. 6:11

  • @JacobSucksAtCode
    @JacobSucksAtCode ปีที่แล้ว

    Love this story!

  • @ilinkthereforeiam
    @ilinkthereforeiam ปีที่แล้ว

    Love notion! As steve jobs said, " The computer is like a bicycle for the mind"

  • @danielesemezie4436
    @danielesemezie4436 ปีที่แล้ว

    I think you guys should make more videos like this that are more authentic and real. I believe it’s one of the reasons it has so many views. Less of that hyper business hyper typical content that isn’t as interesting.

  • @dailysoulenglish
    @dailysoulenglish ปีที่แล้ว +4

    It played a significant role in boosting my creativity and changing my career. It affected my life. Good job.

  • @hanzelkit
    @hanzelkit ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Watching from the Philippines

  • @Gd7OS
    @Gd7OS ปีที่แล้ว

    this is one of the most life changing applications i've used

  • @beynessemavelarz
    @beynessemavelarz ปีที่แล้ว

    Notion is the great organizer all you need

  • @tech.startups
    @tech.startups ปีที่แล้ว

    Notion is beautifully built!

  • @caiolins2495
    @caiolins2495 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I love the 4 core values!

    • @airbnbhorrorstory
      @airbnbhorrorstory ปีที่แล้ว

      Seems like such a positive place to work. Seems like the founders really walk the walk. Be kind!

  • @curious.akshat
    @curious.akshat 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Really wonderful story.

  • @AnnChu-tb4hp
    @AnnChu-tb4hp 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I absolutely love Notion

  • @GBlunted
    @GBlunted ปีที่แล้ว

    I don't know how this video got on my list but it got you another subscriber -who would have thought? 😀 The soundtrack is so good, matches the video perfect! 😆 👍

  • @khareemoliver
    @khareemoliver ปีที่แล้ว

    I LOVE NOTION !

  • @knolf93
    @knolf93 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Interesting the way they thought to build Notion. It seems to me that there indeed exists a fundamental symmetry between the way we interact with the world/computers and how the brain processes information. Organizing everything in trees with well-defined parent and child folders came to me some years ago as the best way of creating a mental map of the folder tree structure. Love it!

  • @user-oi4mb2nb2t
    @user-oi4mb2nb2t 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    노션 너무 좋아요~~~~~~~~~

  • @MohammedMisselmany
    @MohammedMisselmany 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I love notion I use it everyday.

  • @ariessanchez379
    @ariessanchez379 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank you for the video!

  • @iwantsquareballoons
    @iwantsquareballoons ปีที่แล้ว +10

    looking forward to their netflix documentary next year

    • @zakariamohamud6637
      @zakariamohamud6637 ปีที่แล้ว

      Plz can you tag me when the upload their documentary?

  • @kosnowman
    @kosnowman ปีที่แล้ว

    quality content!

  • @captainayaan
    @captainayaan ปีที่แล้ว

    Great app, great founder.

  • @swiadiapkhazava1119
    @swiadiapkhazava1119 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    Bro's got the Patagonia vest - VC hasn't left him lol

  • @Lser03
    @Lser03 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I love using notion!!!!

  • @salehjamali6716
    @salehjamali6716 ปีที่แล้ว

    "Dumb" i loved it lol and damn man i neeeed that auto grammar fixing in notion u just showed

  • @Orken1
    @Orken1 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Great stuff guys. Using Notion myself I really like it!

  • @clean-nature-sound7851
    @clean-nature-sound7851 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

    love notion so much

  • @healthspace4936
    @healthspace4936 ปีที่แล้ว

    Question, Evernote or notion? For everyday use for startup, we use jira for project management but still we feel lack of clustering data, resources.

  • @aenishshrestha8103
    @aenishshrestha8103 ปีที่แล้ว

    interesting love the product !

  • @pog9238
    @pog9238 ปีที่แล้ว +37

    I know this is so common and many Indians in comments say this, but seeing one of my favorite tools for education or just life co-founded by someone coming from Indian hereditary is so cool!

    • @justonce967
      @justonce967 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

      I don't understand one thing why they have to go to US and co found everything why not in India cause they literally have millions of brains to do everything by themselves without the need of third party.

    • @aaradhyarawat7589
      @aaradhyarawat7589 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

      ​@@justonce967Higher education. More reach. More connections. More funding. It's all about being surrounded by elite group in terms of education, networking and money.

  • @Jasp0000
    @Jasp0000 7 วันที่ผ่านมา

    Inspiring

  • @tareqrahaman5284
    @tareqrahaman5284 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I just love notion.

  • @ramit7
    @ramit7 ปีที่แล้ว

    Is there a version of notion still left that works on building the software?

  • @Eggs-n-Jakey
    @Eggs-n-Jakey 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Can't wait til it's finished

  • @raideveloper
    @raideveloper ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I really enjoy notion, it is what MS one note should be, and I really enjoy the integration of document, table, and embedded, to be perfect the only lack thing is offline mode and excel level tables

    • @corylyon545
      @corylyon545 ปีที่แล้ว

      MS Office used to come with a DB tool called Access, and it had lots of templates.

    • @rdean150
      @rdean150 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I imagine it can't work offline because much of its functionality relies on remote servers. I also expect that their business model relies on having access to the content you enter into their tool.

    • @Danuxsy
      @Danuxsy ปีที่แล้ว

      Notion was the most retarded program I've ever used.

  • @yavagedex
    @yavagedex ปีที่แล้ว

    That's great !

  • @hwang5189
    @hwang5189 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

    amazing program

  • @bennykokmusic
    @bennykokmusic ปีที่แล้ว

    Amazing

  • @glenanimates
    @glenanimates 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Love how an advert for ClickUp started playing a couple minutes into the video

  • @caqueto3347
    @caqueto3347 ปีที่แล้ว

    hi, I wonder if Notion could be used to make and sale a product as a SAAS (software as a service)?

  • @danielosei864
    @danielosei864 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Love Notion

  • @jixster1566
    @jixster1566 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I use notion every day. It just makes sense

  • @rahulshendre7089
    @rahulshendre7089 ปีที่แล้ว

    great video

  • @UcheOgbiti
    @UcheOgbiti ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Notion is probably the first ever software version of the IKEA effect

  • @serispeaks
    @serispeaks หลายเดือนก่อน

    I love this

  • @basavarajpatil9821
    @basavarajpatil9821 ปีที่แล้ว

    ❤ Notion.....

  • @user-ky9cd1zx3r
    @user-ky9cd1zx3r ปีที่แล้ว

    EO미쳤다! 노션이라니