A productivity app on the brink of collapse rebuilt itself in a small apartment in Kyoto—and a decade later became an $11 billion company with 100 million users. What changed? Not the product alone, but the people around it.
In this episode of Marginally Better, Joe Taylor, Jr. explores the rise of community as currency—why companies like Notion, Figma, and Discord are growing without massive marketing budgets, while others spend billions trying (and failing) to manufacture connection. It’s a deep dive into what real community looks like, why it can’t be forced, and how businesses can create the conditions for customers to become something more: collaborators, advocates, and builders.
Episode Links:
Meta burned $19 billion on VR last year, and 2026 won't be any better
Meta's Reality Labs posts $6.02 billion loss in fourth quarter
Meta Plans 30% Cut to Metaverse Budget in 2026
Meta Metaverse Layoffs 2026: Inside Reality Labs Meltdown
The 5 Phases of Figma's Community-Led Growth
Community Growth at Figma
Figma's Community Ecosystem: From Plugins to Proof Points
Discord Statistics 2026
Discord Statistics 2026: Users, Revenue & More
Branded Discord Community Building Guide 2026
LEGO Ideas Blog — 146 Product Ideas Qualify for Second 2025 Review
LEGO Ideas Case Study
Community Growth at LEGO
Notion's lost years, its near collapse, staying small to move fast (Ivan Zhao)
Ivan Zhao: "In 2015, we were weeks away from shutting down"
The Kyoto Reboot: How Ivan Zhao Rebuilt Notion
Notion CEO Ivan Zhao: Augmenting Human Intellect
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A productivity app on the brink of collapse rebuilt itself in a small apartment in Kyoto—and a decade later became an $11 billion company with 100 million users. What changed? Not the product alone, but the people around it.
In this episode of Marginally Better, Joe Taylor, Jr. explores the rise of community as currency—why companies like Notion, Figma, and Discord are growing without massive marketing budgets, while others spend billions trying (and failing) to manufacture connection. It’s a deep dive into what real community looks like, why it can’t be forced, and how businesses can create the conditions for customers to become something more: collaborators, advocates, and builders.
