In a special interview with CNBC-TV18, Kothari remarked, “Our core philosophy focuses on empowering individuals to achieve more. A significant portion of our daily routines involves tedious tasks. AI can free up 30% of our time, allowing us to engage in creativity and projects we previously had no time for.” He further noted that Notion’s mission contrasts sharply with the prevailing view of AI as a job eliminator.
Referring to AI as the “new electricity” for Notion, Kothari stated it is revolutionizing user interactions with the platform. With tens of millions of users worldwide, Notion has developed a robust editing and database system—AI now facilitates large-scale customization. “You can now communicate in English—or your preferred language—and it translates that into a personalized setup,” he elaborated.
This evolution is crucial as Notion broadens its appeal to both personal and enterprise applications. Whether tracking OKRs, managing teams, planning meals, or overseeing fridge inventories, the same product serves both individual users and Fortune 500 companies. “Our product needs to be straightforward enough for a college student, yet scalable for an organization of 10,000,” he emphasized.
Even as the company targets enterprise clients, Kothari insists on maintaining Notion’s design-centric values. “Often, products that shift towards the enterprise market lose their charm and become overly complex. We aim to retain our lovable and aesthetically pleasing essence while also ensuring security and enterprise-readiness.”
AI is further driving product growth. Over the past two years, Notion introduced Calendar and Mail, and is currently creating a deeply interconnected workspace. “We envision users seamlessly navigating a connected environment where meetings are documented in Notion and emails facilitate meeting scheduling in Calendar,” he mentioned.
Despite notable growth, Notion practices financial discipline and remains mindful of team size. “We’ve maintained cash flow positivity for many years. Our business self-sustains its growth,” Kothari stated. “We place a high value on talent density—having the right number of people maximizes leverage.”
Below is the excerpt of the interview.
Q: Akshay, it’s wonderful to see you again, and thank you for hosting us at the Notion headquarters—an iconic building dating back to 1907, now your home.
Akshay Kothari: It is indeed our new home. We relocated here about a month ago, and it feels like a graduation milestone for us. We’re situated on Market Street now, reflecting our business’s upward trajectory. We’re witnessing a growing number of enterprise customers utilizing Notion. Thus, our move to Market Street feels quite fitting.
Q: This building is timeless, much like your ambition to create enduring products, right? Everything seems to align.
Akshay Kothari: Absolutely. Our goal is to develop a timeless tool. Each conference room is named after classic tools we admire, and we aspire for Notion to endure for generations.
Q: Let’s discuss Notion and the various pivots you’ve made—from your inception in 2013 to the significant breakthrough in 2016, and your trajectory toward 2025. I was pleasantly surprised when I spotted a billboard proclaiming “Software is beautiful.” It’s rarely described this way. What led you to invest so heavily in the notion of software beauty?
Akshay Kothari: This really ties back to the company’s ethos. We’re influenced heavily by computing pioneers from the 1970s, like Douglas Engelbart, who emphasized augmenting human intelligence. While many billboards promote AI as a replacement for humans, that’s not our directive. We aim to enhance people’s capabilities, which can be traced back to our first office in a design studio—the intersection of liberal arts and technology is where we thrive.
Q: Ivan Zhao embodies that ethos, right? This office resembles a museum of chairs; I understand he handpicks every single one.
Akshay Kothari: Indeed, he handpicks not just chairs, but every piece of furniture down to the pens we use, which he curates meticulously. Each element is important to him; he believes our environment should inspire timeless creativity. The natural light, our surroundings, and even the jazz playing in the background all encourage us to perform at our best.
Q: Now, regarding AI, how do you foresee an AI-driven pivot for Notion’s future?
Akshay Kothari: AI is akin to new electricity for us. We’ve spent a decade developing an exceptional editor and database that supports millions of users. AI enhances this by injecting immense potential into the platform.
Users frequently express appreciation for the product, though they sometimes find customization challenging. AI resolves that, recognizing how different parts of Notion interact; you can simply articulate your needs in English—or any language—and it adapts to your preferences.
Q: So, the “think it, make it” philosophy is now advanced through AI?
Akshay Kothari: Correct. Previously, users either had to handle tasks themselves or depend on community contributions. Now, they can create personalized solutions independently. With a billion knowledge workers globally, each can now build customized software by simply requesting their desired features.
Q: Let’s revisit the founding vision. Notion aimed to be the fundamental building block—akin to LEGO—of the software landscape, and your current goal is to evolve into an all-in-one app competing with the giants. How does this transformation impact both internal and external aspects?
Akshay Kothari: There’s continuity in this journey. We’ve always acknowledged that people are overwhelmed by numerous tools. Instead of having everyone in a company using hundreds of tools, we envisioned Notion as the singular solution. Now, with AI, we can address that wide range of needs even more effectively. People employ Notion for an impressively diverse array of functions.
Q: What’s the most intriguing use case you’ve encountered?
Akshay Kothari: On a personal level, users track workouts, plan meals, manage fridge stocks, and collect recipes. Professionally, they oversee projects, monitor OKRs, and run entire companies. It’s fascinating that the same product caters to both small teams and large corporations, accommodating a spectrum from five to 50,000 users. The interface needs to be accessible for a college student yet adaptable for an organization with 10,000 employees.
Q: What have you learned from transitioning this product to meet the needs of enterprise clients?
Akshay Kothari: There’s a heightened emphasis on security, privacy, and governance. However, the core ethos remains unchanged. Many former users have scaled their startups into enterprises, so our focus is to ensure that end users still derive value and inspiration from the product. Often, as products ascend to the enterprise market, they lose their charm and become cumbersome; we aim to remain engaging, aesthetically pleasing, yet secure and ready for enterprise use.
Q: Looking ahead—considering profitability, enterprise growth, and revenue expansion—what’s on the horizon?
Akshay Kothari: The company is on an upward growth trajectory. We’re progressing towards achieving $1 billion in ARR shortly. We’ve been cash flow positive for many years. My upbringing in Ahmedabad and roots in Rajasthan instilled in me the value of cash flow—something my father appreciates greatly, especially in Silicon Valley.
Our business finances its own growth, stemming from our commitment to maintaining a small team. We prioritize talent density—having a minimal number of individuals immensely geared toward building, creating, and passing on that potential to our customers.
Q: Let’s discuss the relationship between AI and humans. Currently, there’s a trend of companies asserting that 20% of our code is generated by machines. What’s your take on this balance?
Akshay Kothari: Notion approaches this differently. While others speculate about artificial general intelligence (AGI) and the replacement of human roles, we focus on enhancing human intelligence. We explore what humans can achieve with AI assistance or how we can collaborate effectively. I remain very optimistic about this relationship.
Q: What are you currently building?
Akshay Kothari: We’re working on numerous initiatives. Just two years prior, we concentrated on a single product. Recently, we rolled out Notion Calendar and Notion Mail, creating a cohesive workspace suite. We aspire for users to immerse themselves in a deeply interconnected realm where meetings are seamlessly recorded in Notion, and emails can effortlessly arrange meetings in Calendar. These integrations should have existed long ago but didn’t—AI is now fast-tracking this progress.
Watch the accompanying video for the full discussion.
