Pinecone reinvests hours saved from using Notion AI into building revolutionary AI products
Pinecone used to struggle with disparate, inaccessible information scattered across various tools. Now, Notion helps its teams save hours searching for answers and effectively leverage the company’s collective knowledge.
Insights from
Alicia del Carmen Raymond
People Director
Jake Kokos
Sales Director
David Haikney
VP of Field Engineering
1
A better infrastructure for connecting Pinecone’s teams, knowledge, and work
Generative AI couldn’t be where it is now without vector databases. Since 2019, Pinecone’s fully-managed serverless vector database software provides the critical storage and retrieval infrastructure that allows companies to build and run AI applications accurately, securely, and at scale. And with the rapid pace of AI development, the company has been growing at breakneck speed.
In Alicia del Carmen Raymond’s first year at Pinecone as Director of People, she witnessed the company’s headcount nearly triple. That growth brought with it challenges though. Namely, finding relevant and accurate information became nearly impossible, as knowledge was tucked away in different Google Drive folders, random slide decks, or employees' heads. New hires didn’t know if their searches came up empty because they were looking in the wrong place, they didn’t have access, or because the information simply didn't exist.
But finding the right information wasn’t just a People team problem. Sales needed to keep up with complex product and competitive knowledge. Engineering teams faced similar issues with their documentation, leading to duplication, inconsistencies, and out-of-date information. It became clear that everyone at Pinecone needed a more streamlined approach to knowledge sharing and collaboration.
2
Give employees a solution they actually want and watch adoption skyrocket
Up to that point, Pinecone didn’t have a structured company knowledge base. Google Drive was a clunky hodgepodge of content that lacked the architecture to keep everything organized and discoverable. Alicia knew Pinecone needed a better long-term solution, but traditional, static company wikis are notoriously disliked by employees and often fall into the same pitfalls of disarray and low usage.
Finding that solution didn’t take long because a lot of employees were already asking for Notion. They loved using Notion on their own or at a previous company, sharing all the ways Pinecone could use it not only as a company wiki but for their own team’s planning and daily work. They also pointed out that Pinecone’s own product helps power Notion AI, which would help them easily find exactly what they needed in their workspace.
Often when a new work tool is rolled out, companies have to force adoption. However, Pinecone found that wasn’t the case with Notion. Employees had already used it in their personal lives or at other companies and were eager to adopt it, which made the change management process very easy. This enthusiasm also led to innovative ideas on how to maximize Notion’s potential at the company.
Anything employees can’t find within a few seconds of searching, they’re going to eat up precious People team hours and remain blocked until they get an answer.
Alicia del Carmen Raymond
People Director
People Director
3
Building documentation fast with Notion AI
Creating a home for all of Pinecone’s most important information was a tall order for a two-person People team. Fortunately, they were able to simply import existing information from across their Google Drive and use Notion’s AI writer to create first drafts that they could finesse into final form. Within days they had Notion set up as the company’s one-stop shop for everything employees needed to know or frequently asked the People team about.
Not only did Notion AI make building robust documentation a breeze for the People team, it also made that documentation actionable. Now, employees just ask Notion AI and get the info they need instantly, freeing up the People team to focus on more strategic initiatives that require their expertise and a human touch.
When Pinecone employees have a question about a company policy or process, they can just ask Notion AI and get an instant response citing where that information lives in the company wiki.
4
A hub for specialized knowledge increased sales activity by 8x
Notion’s flexibility allows every Pinecone team to tailor the company-wide tool for their specific needs. When Jake Kokos joined to lead Commercial Sales, he discovered team-specific information scattered across various tools, hidden in Google Docs and Sheets, or undocumented entirely. Inspired by the People team's success, Jake rallied the sales org to consolidate everything in their Notion teamspace.
Each deal's dedicated Notion page allows team members to craft their approach, maintain detailed notes, and integrate information from specialized tools like Gong and Salesforce. With all this information consolidated into one sales hub, everyone can see all that goes into every deal and use Notion AI to create win reports instantly. This becomes shared knowledge that enables other Sales reps to learn best practices in their own sales cycles and gives teams like product marketing ideas for enablement materials. This real-time knowledge sharing is crucial. It ensures universal access to an up-to-date knowledge base, instead of fleeting information often lost in emails or Slack channels that people might not even see. "Notion allows us to march to the same drumbeat and keep that drumbeat more consistent,” Jake says of the impact.
Sales also uses Notion to stay current on intricate technical details and industry information. With all their tech docs and internal enablement materials in Notion, they can learn in one place and answer questions on the fly. They even use Notion AI to write targeted, effective prospecting outreach in a few seconds.
The results are impressive: the time savings, access to shared resources, and powerful AI editor increased the sales team’s productivity from 50 to 400 touch points per week, helping them double their weekly booked meetings.
When sellers are on calls with customers they need instant access to the knowledge in your battle cards, competitive analysis, roadmap, and more. With Notion AI, all they need to do is ask a question, and they’ll get an instant response.
Notion created a more efficient sense of collaboration for our team. We've elevated our sales process from sporadic information sharing across different tools and channels to a sophisticated system of organizing all that knowledge in one place everyone can more effectively leverage.
Jake Kokos
Sales Director
Sales Director
5
Engineers love using the same tool to scope, plan, and ship
Technical teams often gravitate towards Notion due to its flexibility, technical documentation features, and powerful organizational capabilities. Problem-solvers by nature, engineers appreciate Notion's ability to structure complex information and workflows in a way that aligns with their systematic thinking. The API integrations, version control features, ability to embed information from other tools like Github, and collaborative tools resonate strongly, allowing them to streamline their processes and focus on what they do best: shipping.
At Pinecone, the Field Engineering team quickly embraced Notion, finding it to be an ideal place to document technical specifications and manage project timelines. “The best engineers obsess over their efficiency, in the same way that top chefs won’t tolerate blunt knives. They want to use tools like Notion that aid their work instead of slowing them down,” explains David Haikney, VP of Field Engineering.
Since everyone at Pinecone uses Notion, it’s easier to discover information and understand what everyone is working on, even if that work happens in another tool they have embedded within Notion. This makes it easier for teams like engineering to feel more informed and involved in the work happening across the company.
Now engineers can consolidate project information from various tools, making documentation effortless, and connecting all important processes to their daily work and the work of cross-functional teams across the company.
Notion is a tool that not only helps us be more efficient doing our job but also keeps us more connected to all the initiatives going on across the company, which ultimately leads to happier employees.
David Haikney
VP of Field Engineering
VP of Field Engineering
6
Pinecone's internal source of truth
What started as a company wiki to help employees better find company information has evolved into a new way of working based on knowledge sharing. Everyone at Pinecone runs on Notion—new hires start using it on day one, leveraging its AI-powered search to quickly get up to speed and start making an immediate impact.
“Pinecone is a fast-moving, global AI infrastructure company that runs around the clock. Notion’s flexible features and superior AI Q&A capabilities help us stay on track,” says Edo Liberty, founder and CEO of Pinecone. “As a result, we’re able to collaborate easily and efficiently— that’s why Notion serves as our internal source of truth.”
By providing a flexible, AI-enhanced workspace, Notion has helped Pinecone streamline their processes, foster collaboration, and maintain their competitive edge in the rapidly evolving AI industry.
