Notion Takes On Google Docs And Microsoft Office By Being Like Lego | Forbes

Notion is a productivity tool powered by AI that is making inroads on Google Docs and Microsoft Office. The company is a standout on the 2024 Forbes AI 50 list and a steady stream of Notion tutorials can be found on social media, which speaks to its rapid rise in popularity.
In this video, Forbes staff writer and AI 50 list editor Kenrick Cai sat down with Notion cofounder and CEO Ivan Zhao in Notion's San Francisco headquarters to learn more about the company's philosophy and approach to business.
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[@Chris-cx6wl]

Notion isn’t an AI startup. They’re a startup with some AI feature. There’s a difference.

[@francismensah4946]

The founder referred to Notion as an "Augmentation Intellect" (A.I.) app in this vid.

[@QuantuMGriD]

Lol true😂

[@SatoshiNakamono]

I think they're using APIs from other AI companies, not building by themselves.

[@chiquita683]

Cope

[@SodiqAyilara]

AI washing

[@thinkingcitizen]

biggest problem with notion is its latency, not low enough

[@hum6le]

the biggest issue is it’s server based, not local. obsidian is way better

[@blessdarah1256]

@@hellodeiv52😂😂😂😂😂

[@Designsystemstream]

​@hellodeiv52 huh?

[@soxxks]

@@hum6leObsidian gang rise up 🙌🏽

[@soupisreallygoodfood]

Great interview. I've been running Notion and Notion Calendar for about a month now, and I love it.

[@misterfilmguy]

I just started using Notion a couple weeks ago and have been really impressed by the flexibility and customization. I'm planning a trip with it now and it's a night and day difference compared to similar projects using Google Docs. So much more flexible and smooth

[@DielGunner]

Been using Notion since 2018. What I really appreciate from Notion: modularity, scalability, and the ease of integrating various things into it.

[@paulXmbingu]

Notion is king, I can't picture my design and research planning without it.

[@Gurungsiddharth]

Notion has impacted hugely in life for this year thank you for making this app.

[@jonathanbyron8664]

Really impressed by his depth of knowledge and anecdotes in English. He must be a phenomenal motivator in his native language.

[@williamikennanwosu]

Ivan Zhao is a breath of fresh air amongst tech CEOs. He has some of that Bruce Lee profoundness and insight (Not because he is East Asian and North American; don't come for me in the comments☺); I'm sure others can sense it as well. I like the way he speaks too because he did not try to fit and change his voice to sound like everyone else. Authentic and true. Notion is a great product too but as everyone says in the comments, it would be nice if they could make it faster 😉.

[@jairunet]

Brilliant in many ways, I already have respect for this dude, keep it up!

[@irfanadamm5819]

please make it faster

[@cheesybirdmess7349]

Notion made itself so useful it's starting to be unimaginable to live without it

[@EcomCarl]

Notion's journey from near bankruptcy to becoming a tool that enhances both work and personal productivity is truly remarkable. Its flexibility, inspired by the simplicity of paper, shows how tools that adapt to user needs drive innovation and engagement. 👍

[@talkbotchronicles]

Thanks to Notion, we've crafted a tutorial on enhancing a database to boost AI prompts. It's incredibly user-friendly. Notion has the potential to become one of the next big companies globally.

[@onlybryanliu]

i stopped using notion, cuz the amount of time you spend customizing it is way too much

[@marcossantana.mp4]

This varies from person to person, you may need to review things like productive procrastination and discipline. I say this because I also suffer from too much personalization. The answer is to find the discipline.

[@Michael-qp7gx]

Yeah, agree. You should give Capacities a try. It's designed for personal use and to "just work".

[@eliassmouni1245]

Skill issue

[@anoopr3931]

Since 2023 i am using notion and it's cool and is damn useful.

[@wut2404]

Using a screen reader, I wasn't even able to begin editing because focus wouldn't move to the confirmation modal. Not to mention all of the other problems. I love the idealistic paper metaphor, but until the product is accessible, it won't compare. At present, Notion is not built for everyone.

[@ric3587]

Notion is amazing 🎉

[@riclerico]

those shoes are cool af....

[@alko_xo]

He started to talk exactly like Elisabeth Holmes and Sam Bankman-Fried!

[@wheelsroundwheels]

9:44 - 10:30 note this guys! cheers to all fellow techies

[@ambarde]

Notion is amazing, but their MacOS app is slow on Intel macs (not sure about M series ones). The team might even know about this. Hope it doesn't become another Slack. Probably will use it anyway, but will surely appreciate the speed. 🙏🏽

[@misterfilmguy]

It works really smoothly on my base M1 MacBook Air.

[@bjorn1429]

I agree. It's performance, for me on a M1 macbook, is also the biggest bummer. Is it 'slow'? Not really, but for sure not fast. Lots of tiny delays are just harming the overall experience and make me not enjoying it

[@stan4457]

I have found google docs and sheet to be sufficient for my workflow.

[@HimanshuSharma-oy9ss]

Notion taking over google does not surprise me at all, it is extremely user friendly and versatile.

[@BigCowProductions]

DnD world building with notion is awesome

[@user-24jkgfw]

저는 notion이 영어버전일때부터 사용했는데 그때는 너무 어려웠어요. 한국 사용자를 위해서 한국어 버젼을 👍👍빠르게 만들어줘서 아주 쉽게 사용할 수 있었어요 그래서 지금까지도 노션이 유료이긴 하지만 지금도 사용하고 있고 seoul에 있는 회사에서는 대부분 notion 을 사용합니다 . notion 최고 !! ❤❤

[@harryliu9234]

Notion is getting too complicated to use as a daily note-taking app. And the still very slow. Moving back to Evernote.

[@charlech]

Casually humble brag wifey is a VC I see

[@AbnerAlvarado]

Epic answers 😮👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼🔥

[@roodood]

10B valuation for a "productivity" software (really a notes manager), while being so slow and clunky. I personally use Linear which is sooo much more pleasant to use, but it's obviously a more focused tool as well.

[@Michael-qp7gx]

Notion is great. Recently, I've been more drawn to Capacities though.

[@victortruong2538]

I hope Notion keeps on being successful. All the features it has makes it truly unique and can't go back to google or microsoft...

[@User-of-internet]

I'm a freelance writer and I want to use Notion but it's too much. Too many templates, too much going on. I'd waste my life making things pretty than actually working.

[@eliassmouni1245]

Then don’t make things pretty if it’s a waste of time to you..

[@salmankp8785]

Can anyone tell me what shoes are he is wearing?

[@nuclearthrone2497]

Great interview and interesting answers

[@Fraexc]

Interviewer needs to stop saying uhh

[@ProjectileGrommet]

Obsidian gang

[@blocSonic]

AI startup?!? The application has AI features, but that's it.

[@SallyMwalrMusic]

Google will win they have a solid foundation,

[@kindaking]

forever a notion stan

[@AarenIgnazio77]

Psst, Notion requires employees to Return to Office! No thanks!

[@V_LUVVV]

Notion is a notes app on steroids

[@jeirs4231]

Obsidian is way better

[@GenNextAnalyst]

However Coda is more flexible and the strongest competitor for Notion.

[@Michael-qp7gx]

For individual users, I think capacities is even better because it's more streamlined and designed for personal use.

[@namo-1]

funfact google docs and microsoft are free and notion is paid people are using paid software rather than free

[@suloheart]

sooooo docs, ok got it

[@elvisvan]

_ICT🌤️12PM April 17th 2024_

[@lkgpuanimho0349]

Is Notion free?

[@eliassmouni1245]

Yes, there is a subscription version but you can do everything with the free version

[@jialx]

Another 'app developer' turned 'philosopher'

[@James-mk8jp]

Notion does not augment the human intellect lol

[@88HaZZarD88]

What about Evernote

[@TCakes]

It's been power crept

[@edenassos]

Most successful Uyghur muslim.

[@charlech]

How is he Uyghur when his name is Zhao LOL

[@edenassos]

@@charlech Look up his background first then talk. Zhao can mean his dad is Han chinese but he grew up in Xinjiang with his mom. Quite a number of Uyghurs also get Han chinese names to try to blend into society.

[@charlech]

@@edenassos source? Yeah I know he’s from Xinjiang but I don’t see anything about him being Uyghur on Google. Xinjiang is already over half Han Chinese.

[@JRay2113]

Love Notion. But never gonna happen. Way. Too. Slow.

[@Michael-qp7gx]

You should give Capacities a try

[@jerkchicken508]

Let's be honest, it's essentially a glorified notes app.

[@rodrigovallades2480]

Do you use it by yourself (in isolation), or do you use it in a team context?

[@TCakes]

At the lowest level sure, but that's not really the target demographic.