"Disregard the Words"

After many years of building and tens of millions of users, Notion now describes itself this way: “Every department’s work. In one tool.”  You can almost feel their internal struggle with language—the search for the right words. How can you describe something that is genuinely novel? What happens when something is so fundamentally different th... See more

Snapchat was not a text messaging app. Snapchat was not a social network. Snapchat was something new. Words escaped it because it was novel—beyond our vocabulary at the time. Old, referential language failed to explain Snapchat.

Stop using these popular labels for the things that you are describing. The truth of what is happening—what actually exists in the real world underneath—is much more nuanced and complex than these pithy statements. The nouns and phrases you are relying on are imperfect projections on reality. Don’t ever forget to disregard the words if you want to ... See more

My point in sharing all of this is that sometimes I feel like we get too caught up in the words, and forget to disregard them. Especially (in the context of this essay) as builders of new technology products.“How will I describe this to an investor, or at a dinner party with friends?”"What’s the one-liner that describes why this will be better?”“Wh... See more

Notion was not a word processor. It was not even a word processor with better embeds. It was nothing short of a reimagining of what you could do with “blank pages” on a computer screen. Or potentially even a reimagining of how we make software itself. It seemed quite vague and grand.

After many years of building and tens of millions of users, Notion now describes itself this way: “Every department’s work. In one tool.”  You can almost feel their internal struggle with language—the search for the right words. How can you describe something that is genuinely novel? What happens when something is so fundamentally different th... See more

At worst this worldview can lead to the esoteric, or the novel for novelty’s sake. But at its best it can feel liberating—permission to “disregard the words” and just build what feels exciting. Trusting that the words will follow.