David Siegel on Surviving the Impossible: The Day Meetup Went Online

When COVID hit in early 2020, Meetup’s entire model—bringing people together in person—was shattered. In this episode, Meetup CEO David Siegel shares the critical moment when he had to decide: stick to the mission or adapt to survive.

Hear how he made the call to bring Meetup online in just two days, what he learned about leadership and urgency, and why 80% of his organizers stayed, even when everything changed.

Timestamps

00:41 — Why David almost didn’t tell this story

03:15 — The dashboard that turned blood red

06:42 — The mission vs. survival dilemma

11:30 — Talking to 30 people in 24 hours

14:50 — Launching a 2-day MVP against all odds

19:15 — What organizers taught him about resilience

23:45 — When engineers quit over mission conflict

27:30 — Action bias, Churchill quotes, and how to know when it’s time