====== Simon Last ======
**Simon Last** is a co-founder of [[notion|Notion]] and a key technical leader driving the company's strategic shift toward [[agentic_software|agentic software]] architecture. He has been instrumental in developing Notion's approach to AI agents, focusing on how autonomous systems can be composed and orchestrated within the Notion ecosystem.

===== Background and Role =====
As co-founder, Last has maintained a hands-on technical role throughout Notion's growth from a productivity tool to a platform supporting AI-native workflows. His contributions span product architecture, engineering culture, and long-term technical strategy. Within Notion, he has championed the integration of agentic capabilities as a core platform feature rather than a peripheral add-on(([[https://www.latent.space/p/notion|Latent Space - Notion's Agentic Evolution (2024]]))

===== Agentic Software Vision =====
Last's leadership on [[agentic_software|agentic software]] emphasizes using **shared databases as foundational primitives** for agent composition. Rather than treating agents as isolated services, he advocates for agents to coordinate through [[notion|Notion]]'s relational data model, enabling transparency, persistence, and human oversight of agent actions. This design philosophy positions Notion's database as a natural integration point where multiple agents can read, write, and reason about shared state.

===== Innovation Culture =====
A signature element of Last's approach to rapid AI prototyping is the **"Simon Vortex"**—an internal term referring to intensive innovation cycles and hackathons. These sessions emphasize experimentation with emerging AI capabilities and quick validation of new agentic features within the [[notion|Notion]] platform. This culture of rapid iteration has allowed Notion to move quickly in incorporating multi-[[modal|modal]] AI, tool use, and autonomous workflows into its product roadmap.

===== Technical Leadership =====
Last's technical direction emphasizes modularity and composability in agent design. By treating agents as components that operate within [[notion|Notion]]'s ecosystem of databases, views, and relations, his vision enables non-technical users and developers alike to build complex workflows without rigid orchestration frameworks. This approach aligns with Notion's broader mission to democratize software development and knowledge work.

===== See Also =====

  * [[sarah_sachs|Sarah Sachs]]
  * [[notion|Notion]]
  * [[managed_agents_vs_agent_sdk|Managed Agents vs Agent SDK]]

===== References =====