Notion built a billion-dollar company on Notion.so, then spent years acquiring Notion.com. Here's what founders can learn from the move.
When Notion launched, it took a route many startups still take today.
The company launched on Notion.so, using the country-code extension for Somalia. It was a creative solution to a common problem: the ideal .com was unavailable, the company needed to move quickly, and building the product mattered more than owning the perfect domain name
For years, that decision worked. Notion grew into one of the world's most popular productivity platforms while operating on a domain that wasn't .com.
But as the company scaled, the limitations of that early decision became harder to ignore.
The Risks Behind Country-Code Domain Names
Unlike .com, .SO is a country-code extension administered by Somalia.
While country-code domains can function perfectly well, they introduce dependencies that companies do not fully control. Registry policies can change, geopolitical events can affect operations, and security standards vary across registries.
There is also the issue of user trust.
Consumers have spent decades associating established businesses with .com domains. As a result, many users naturally type the .com version of a brand, assume it exists, or place greater trust in it.
For a global software company, that creates unnecessary friction.
Those risks became more visible in 2019 when many users reported that .SO domains were being automatically blacklisted because of concerns around malware and phishing activity associated with the extension. The issue was not related to Notion itself, but it highlighted how a company's accessibility and reputation can be influenced by factors outside its control.
The same domain strategy that helped Notion launch was becoming less suitable for a company serving millions of users worldwide.
Why Notion Needed the Upgrade
As Notion expanded globally, the benefits of owning the exact-match .com became increasingly obvious.
Moving to Notion.com delivered several advantages:
| Benefit | Impact |
|---|---|
| Greater Trust | Users instantly recognize and trust .com domains. |
| Better Deliverability | Fewer issues with email filters and security systems. |
| Operational Stability | Reduced exposure to foreign registry or policy changes. |
| Brand Protection | Users naturally type and expect the .com version. |
| Long-Term Ownership | The company controls the most valuable version of its brand online. |
Years before the migration, Notion employee David Tibbitts explained the company's thinking:
We chose .so when we were starting out (lots of other companies named Notion, and .so was available). We own Notion.com now. There's an automatic redirect for now, but we'll be switching to .com as soon as our engineering team has the bandwidth
David Tibbitts, a Notion employee
The destination was always evident. The timing was the challenge.
How Notion Acquired Notion.com
Securing Notion.com turned out to be a multi-year effort.
In a post announcing the migration, Notion co-founder Akshay Kothari shared the story behind the acquisition. Shortly after joining the company in 2018, one of his first assignments was figuring out how to acquire Notion.com.
The team worked with several brokers, stayed anonymous, and spent months trying to determine what it would take to convince the owner to sell. After more than a year, they had made little progress.
Eventually, they were introduced to a broker who took a different approach. Rather than focusing entirely on price, he spent time building a relationship with the owner and learning what mattered to him personally.
The owner turned out to be a fellow entrepreneur and a passionate Grateful Dead fan.
Looking for a creative way to move negotiations forward, Kothari reached out to investor Ronny Conway and asked if he could help arrange a private meeting between the owner and the Grateful Dead. Remarkably, Conway made it happen.
The final proposal included cash, equity, and access to a private meeting with the band.
The owner ultimately passed on the meeting but accepted the equity component. A deal was reached shortly afterward, and Notion finally secured ownership of its exact-match domain.
Reflecting on the migration, Kothari wrote on X:
We're finally shedding the .so (thank you Somalia!), and using the .com for Notion.
He later added:
I've been waiting years for the day we move our product to notion.com. Looks like 2026 is finally the year.
What Founders Can Learn
The lesson is that founders should understand the tradeoff they are making. A creative domain extension can solve a naming problem in the short term, but it may introduce trust, infrastructure, and operational challenges as the company grows.
Notion proved that a great company can be built on an alternative extension. It also demonstrated why many successful startups eventually pursue the exact-match .com once they reach a certain scale.
Ultimately, creative domain choices can help you launch, but they often become less attractive as your company grows. The domain that feels optional on day one can become strategically important years later.