V2.5

get ready

Update: I’ve joined @NotionHQ! I am ridiculously pumped to build the perfect space for people and agents to think together. What an incredible time to join. The business is ripping, the team is insane (in a good way), and yet so much work remains ahead of us. It’s an honor and a thrill to be here and to help write Notion’s next chapter. Some of you may be wondering, what does this mean for Lex and Roughdraft? Lex will be winding down by the end of the year, while Roughdraft will continue on as an independent open source project. I’ll give a more detailed update soon (especially for Lex users about the transition — I'll make sure you are taken care of), but the main message I want to share today is gratitude. Thank you to @trueventures and all our investors, to the Lex team, to our customers and users, and to friends and family who supported us along the way. Also, a huge thank you to @ivanhzhao, @akothari, @mschoening, and everyone at Notion for bringing me aboard and making me feel at home. Most importantly, thank you to @SoniaBaschez. When we sat down for dinner in August 2022 and you told me you’d support me spending nights and weekends on that crazy AI writing idea I had (with an infant baby girl at home, no less), we had no clue what the next four years would look like. We had no idea we’d get hundreds of thousands of users within weeks, or that Sequoia would put Lex on a market map. We had no idea ChatGPT was coming in a few months, or how AI would reshape the world. We had no idea Lex would become not just be a side quest at Every, but an independent company. All we knew was that we had a good feeling about it, and you were willing to bet on it. Anyway, as you can tell, I am insanely excited for what comes next. Can’t wait to share some of the things we’re cooking up with you soon. And whether you love or hate Notion, I’d love to help make it better for you!

Our convictions

Making art is really tough. In college I dreaded anyone looking over my shoulder at the easel while I was still working. "It's in progress," I would say, before they could get a word out. It's tough to let people see inside when it's not perfect. It's hard to explain what the outcome is going to be when your vision is mostly emotion. For every @arenamag cover, I want everyone to see themselves in it. Technical or not, this software issue is for you. I ended up making over 60 programs for Issue 009 (eek!) capturing the aesthetic progression of software required making some new software. A big part of my design mantra is nostalgia. Never imitate, always a nod. Something that feels familiar even though it's new, and draws you in. And then...make it schizographic, a malapropism I jokingly said in a staff meeting when trying to describe Arena's vibe. Lots of color. More...always more. More stuff, more diagrams. Take what you think works and level it up. More. So here is my design progression for 009: Software. Watch it get refined (and then get slightly worse) until the final cover.

So that Americans will continue to win for generations to come.

@beacon_a_i achieved a major milestone on the path towards pilot assistance autonomy this week. I look forward to sharing more info about this in the coming weeks! Big thanks to our DoW and Air Force partners and to my insanely hardworking team ✈️ 🇺🇸