Notion's Head of Product on Agency, AI, and Designers Who Code

Notion's Head of Product Max Schoening says agency-the belief that you can shape your environment-is a critical, unevenly distributed trait for professional success.

Schoening notes that the first 10% of any project is now essentially free to build, lowering the barrier for startups. Great products, he argues, all have one tiny core feature that is exceptionally good.

AI is reducing the intimidation of coding, helping product teams prototype faster. As models improve, adoption will surge, and Schoening believes the trend of designers contributing to production code will continue.

However, despite a boom in software output, he says quality has not improved. For designers and PMs, understanding how software works is more valuable than merely shipping code.