Motion: Redefining How Work Gets Done

Motion began with a simple idea: help people manage their time better. After several pivots, the founders have built one of the fastest-growing work platforms, recently closing their Series B and C at a $550M valuation. Today, Motion is redefining how work gets done — not just managing projects, but embedding AI employees directly into the workflow. In this interview with YC General Partner Aaron Epstein, the founders share how they gave up seven-figure trading jobs to start from scratch, why they walked away from a successful consumer product, and how they’re building the platform where humans and AI work side by side. Learn more about Motion: https://www.usemotion.com Chapters: 01:20 – What Motion Does Today 02:40 – From Math Olympiad to Startups 05:00 – Leaving 7-Figure Salaries 07:30 – YC and the First Pivots 09:15 – Breakthrough with Smart Calendaring 12:00 – Why Consumer Tools Don’t Scale 14:30 – Pivoting to B2B Work Management 17:20 – The Drive to Win 20:30 – Surviving 2020 Demo Day 23:00 – Launching AI Employees 26:30 – The Future of Work

Aaron Epsteinhost

Sep 9, 202517mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: September 9, 2025
Duration: 17m
Channel: YC Root Access
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Motion began with a simple idea: help people manage their time better. After several pivots, the founders have built one of the fastest-growing work platforms, recently closing their Series B and C at a $550M valuation. Today, Motion is redefining how work gets done — not just managing projects, but embedding AI employees directly into the workflow. In this interview with YC General Partner Aaron Epstein, the founders share how they gave up seven-figure trading jobs to start from scratch, why they walked away from a successful consumer product, and how they’re building the platform where humans and AI work side by side. Learn more about Motion: https://www.usemotion.com Chapters: 01:20 – What Motion Does Today 02:40 – From Math Olympiad to Startups 05:00 – Leaving 7-Figure Salaries 07:30 – YC and the First Pivots 09:15 – Breakthrough with Smart Calendaring 12:00 – Why Consumer Tools Don’t Scale 14:30 – Pivoting to B2B Work Management 17:20 – The Drive to Win 20:30 – Surviving 2020 Demo Day 23:00 – Launching AI Employees 26:30 – The Future of Work

SPEAKERS

Aaron Epstein
host
Host/interviewer on YC Root Access.

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of YC Root Access, featuring Aaron Epstein, Motion: Redefining How Work Gets Done explores motion pivots from smart calendaring to AI-powered SMB work platform Motion sells an all-in-one work management suite (projects, docs, wikis, knowledge) to SMBs—especially service businesses across middle America.

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