Notion's lost years, its near collapse during Covid, staying small to move fast, the joy and suffering of building horizontal, more

Key takeaways

1. Zhao says the first version failed because it was built for what he wanted. It was buggy and too complex, and "people don't want to build apps." Build for what users need, not for yourself.
2. Hide a broad vision inside something people already understand. Notion moved to a familiar idea, notes and docs with a twist, then added advanced features gradually.
3. Hold the vision but change the tactics. Notion's goal of letting anyone customize software never changed, but the team overhauled the tech and UX when they weren't working.
4. Zhao says to focus on making something people love rather than on early publicity or fundraising: "If you build something great, the network will come and investors will say yes."
5. Notion kept its team small and reached unicorn status with a few dozen employees. It also offered generous free plans, which built trust, so users were willing to pay when team plans and upsells arrived.