Why Notion Is Betting on AI Building Blocks – with Andrew McCarthy, GM ANZ at Notion

Episode SummaryThis week’s episode of In The Blink of AI is a special one, recorded live at UNSW in front of a sold-out audience. Georgie sits down with Andrew McCarthy, General Manager at Notion for Australia, New Zealand, and Asia, to explore how one of the world’s most loved productivity tools is quietly reshaping the way teams work with AI.Andrew shares how Notion’s modular “building block” approach is changing the game for startups and enterprise alike, why simplifying workflows beats chasing the next shiny tool, and how students, founders, and even origami fans are building powerful systems without writing code.They cover the anti-SaaS philosophy behind Notion’s design, what startups can learn from OpenAI’s use of AI for internal ops, and how AI can bridge the gap between newcomers and tenured employees, giving everyone superpowers at work.Plus: Notion skincare routines, sports dreams, and a very wholesome story about digital journaling and self-love.Time Stamps02:19 – Meet Andrew McCarthy, GM of Notion for ANZ & Asia06:55 – Why Notion Chose Sydney as Its APAC HQ09:42 – Notion’s Anti-SaaS Philosophy & Why It Matters12:58 – The Real Notion Origin Story: From Near-Death to Kyoto15:13 – The Power of UI/UX & the Race to the Application Layer18:46 – What Notion AI Can Do, And What Users Are Loving20:07 – Work as a Flow: The Case for Native AI Integration20:20 – Why Templates Are a Hidden Superpower21:38 – A Nepalese Student’s Side Hustle That Blew Andrew’s Mind22:10 – From Hype to Value: How to Cut Through the AI Noise24:36 – Most Unexpected Notion Use Case? Origami Knowledge Base27:25 – Scaling Notion: Focus on What’s Already Working28:48 – Enterprise AI Adoption (Hi, Toyota 👋)30:44 – Should You Learn Python or Logic? Frameworks vs Tools31:23 – Non-Tech Companies and AI: The Two-by-Two Matrix34:01 – Rapid Fire: Sports Dreams, Dinner Guests & Parenting in the AI Era38:02 – A Notion Page That Brought a Tear to His EyeResourcesAndrew McCarthy on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/awmccarthy/Notion’s Startup Program (6 Months Free) - https://www.notion.com/startups✨ Connect with Georgie HealyLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georginahealy/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/georgina_healy/Twitter: https://x.com/georgina__healy?lang=enThe Day One NetworkIn The Blink of AI is part of Day One, the podcast network dedicated to founders, operators & investors.Sign up to get your weekly insights into the up-and-coming AI startups: https://dayone.fm/newsletter

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