Notion Plans Hiring Binge as CEO Makes All-In Bet on AI

As AI has reordered Silicon Valley, it has ushered in an adapt-or-die reckoning for quite a few members of tech’s older generations.

That’s true even for 13-year-old Notion, which shot to popularity in the 2010s with a slick note-taking app. In recent years, the company has found itself in an awkward middle ground. By some measures, it remains a tech darling: Its revenue has surged over that period of time, and CEO Ivan Zhao is a celebrity in tech circles for his elevated taste in software design.

By other measures, the Notion story looks less rosy: Usage of its mobile app is stalling, according to data from Sensor Tower, a market intelligence firm, and the startup hasn’t raised money at a time when venture capital is free-flowing. And like other software companies born in the pre-AI era, Notion faces questions about whether alternatives to its products from the new AI labs could eat its lunch. To address those concerns, Zhao has thrown himself and his company into overdrive, reorienting Notion almost totally around AI.

Notion plans to increase its headcount roughly 30% this year, with the new roles largely devoted to building AI products alongside and selling them to customers, according to a person familiar with the business. The company has debuted a slew of AI features for its customers, most notably one that allows them to make their own custom agents for handling repetitive tasks. It has also introduced AI that transcribes meetings, automates databases and allows people to search their Slack messages and Google Drives without leaving Notion’s app.