Ivan Zhao: Why Notion hides no-code Lego inside productivity

Notion’s initial vision—anyone can create software—failed when exposed directly as a developer tool. It only took off when embedded in a mainstream, familiar format (productivity docs and notes) that people already wanted, with the no-code power “hidden” underneath.

Zhao distinguishes between building for your own values/taste and building a product that wins in the market; leaning too far toward self-expression becomes an art project, while leaning too far toward business creates a commodity. Sustainable products live in the tension between the two.

Notion repeatedly threw away large codebases, even laying off most of the team and rebuilding on a different web stack. Zhao argues that better abstractions and systems can let you quickly catch up and surpass sunk work, making bold resets rational rather than reckless.

By keeping the company lean, profitable, and run by generalists who can code, design, and sell, Notion minimized coordination overhead and internal communication cost. Zhao likens Notion to a “small bus” that can turn fast and insists systems and tools should replace brute-force hiring.

Most users don’t want primitives; they want ready-made solutions. Notion learned it must maintain a powerful underlying Lego-like system (bricks) while packaging opinionated solutions (boxes) for use cases like project management and CRM—without violating its core abstractions.