Episode Summary:
This 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.
Chapters:
02:19 – Meet Andrew McCarthy, GM of Notion for ANZ & Asia
06:55 – Why Notion Chose Sydney as Its APAC HQ
09:42 – Notion’s Anti-SaaS Philosophy & Why It Matters
12:58 – The Real Notion Origin Story: From Near-Death to Kyoto
15:13 – The Power of UI/UX & the Race to the Application Layer
18:46 – What Notion AI Can Do, And What Users Are Loving
20:07 – Work as a Flow: The Case for Native AI Integration
20:20 – Why Templates Are a Hidden Superpower
21:38 – A Nepalese Student’s Side Hustle That Blew Andrew’s Mind
22:10 – From Hype to Value: How to Cut Through the AI Noise
24:36 – Most Unexpected Notion Use Case? Origami Knowledge Base
27:25 – Scaling Notion: Focus on What’s Already Working
28:48 – Enterprise AI Adoption (Hi, Toyota 👋)
30:44 – Should You Learn Python or Logic? Frameworks vs Tools
31:23 – Non-Tech Companies and AI: The Two-by-Two Matrix
34:01 – Rapid Fire: Sports Dreams, Dinner Guests & Parenting in the AI Era
38:02 – A Notion Page That Brought a Tear to His Eye
Resources:
Andrew McCarthy on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/awmccarthy/
Notion’s Startup Program (6 Months Free) - https://www.notion.com/startups
