Ivan Zhao of Notion lauded for tech‑CEO fashion at Sun Valley

Ivan Zhao, the co‑founder and chief executive of productivity platform Notion, attracted attention at the annual Sun Valley conference in Idaho for his distinctive dress sense. Rather than the usual hoodie or designer suit, Zhao combined a gray three‑piece suit with a white T‑shirt, a denim jacket with a gray tee, and a bomber jacket over a white tee, earning praise from the New York Times, which jokingly dubbed the gathering “Gun Valley,” and from Town and Country, which highlighted his purposeful yet restrained look.

Born in China and raised in Canada, Zhao studied cognitive science at the University of British Columbia before co‑founding Notion with Simon Last in 2013. After a buggy 2016 launch, the team relaunched the product from a small Kyoto apartment, achieving rapid success on Product Hunt. In October 2021, Notion raised $275 million at a $10 billion valuation, with Zhao retaining roughly 30 % of the company. His personal net‑worth estimates vary, but his influence on the company’s design ethos and now its fashion profile remains notable.