In the world of tech startups, where speed, scale, and fundraising often dominate conversations, Notion CEO Ivan Zhao stands apart. Over dinner in Sydney, Zhao shared insights into how his love for art, photography, and beauty informs the design and evolution of one of the fastest-growing productivity platforms in the world.
“Beauty is on one end, utility on the other,” Zhao explained. “I really like the quote from Bell Labs: create something beautiful and useful. I want to create tools that bring more utility and beauty to the world. That is my energy source.”
Zhao’s artistic sensibilities trace back to his early years. “I wanted to become an artist,” he recalled. “I exhibited some photos in my first and second years of college. But I realized being an artist involved too much social interaction, whereas tech and building products are more meritocratic. So I shifted to tech.”
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Some of his fondest photography memories include road-tripping across China with his father and capturing moments that would later appear in exhibits, including the New York Photo Festival. “At that moment, I thought maybe I should become a photographer,” he said. But his fascination with structure, tools, and creation ultimately led him to build Notion.
That blend of artistry and rigor also shapes his approach to business. “Business has clear metrics like revenue and profit. Art does not. You find your own way,” Zhao noted. “Too much focus on art, and you might not build a sustainable business. Too much on business, and you risk commoditization. I constantly check which side is pulling me harder.”
This philosophy is evident in how Notion is constructed. In the early days, Zhao said, the company sometimes leaned too heavily toward artistic vision, creating features that were beautiful but did not fit seamlessly into the broader system. “We over-engineered certain parts like hard plastic Legos. Customers did not like it, our engineers did not enjoy building it, so we shifted. Now we focus on modularity and flexibility, building Notion like a Lego set,” he explained.
Looking to the future, Zhao sees AI playing a transformative role in knowledge work. Notion’s architecture, he argues, uniquely positions the platform to build AI super agents. “We are lucky that Notion has consolidated so much context. Giving this to language models works really well,” he said. “The UI layer is crucial because humans still need to supervise outputs. The most uniquely human quality will be directing agents effectively.”
In Zhao’s vision, AI agents will not replace people. They will amplify human judgment. “People will become architects rather than bricklayers. Agents can perform repetitive tasks, but human taste, judgment, and agency remain essential,” he said. “It should feel like a teammate, capable of performing the work of a twenty-person team, guided by human insight.”
Sustaining energy and focus over a decade of building Notion, Zhao emphasized mindset over motivation. “I treat it as a journey rather than a destination. Focus on doing better than last week, last year. Maintain a craft mindset. It gives durable energy,” he said.
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Zhao’s approach to influence and advice is equally discerning. “Advice is highly contextual. You have to think for yourself,” he explained. Asked whom he would have dinner with if he could choose anyone, he selected Mozart, Rick Rubin, and Darwin.
Ultimately, Zhao’s philosophy blends beauty, utility, and human judgment. “The journey is the reward,” he said. “Treat your life that way, and it is a good feeling.” For a tech founder whose products touch millions of users worldwide, the sentiment is simple yet profound, a reminder that at the heart of even the most advanced tools is a human perspective guided by taste, creativity, and purpose.
