I love to talk about mission. Values. Vision. What we stand for. But when the world flips and survival is on the line, what actually matters?
In early 2020, David Siegel was the CEO of Meetup, a company whose entire business was built on bringing people together in person. “Use technology to get people off technology,” as he put it.
Then COVID hit.
Within days, Meetup’s dashboards were flashing red. Hundreds of thousands of events disappeared. A company built on IRL community now had to decide: stick to the mission and risk collapse? Or adapt, fast?
David made the call. In two days, Meetup launched online events. It wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t aligned with everything they’d said for 18 years. But it kept the lights on. It let organizers stay connected. It gave people a way to find each other in a scary, disconnected time.
I loved how David framed it:
“Revenue gives oxygen to the mission. But during COVID, our mission gave oxygen to our revenue.”
It’s easy to judge decisions after the fact. But in the moment, there’s no perfect playbook. Just people, pressure, and a clock ticking down.
So what did he do? He talked to 30 people in 24 hours. An engineer who bled Meetup red. A board member who told him to go all-in on virtual. He took it all in. But he didn’t lead by democracy.
“If 90% of people said one thing and I felt another, I had to make the call. That’s the job.”
There are a lot of lessons here for leaders:
Be mission-driven, but not mission-blind.
Move fast, even if it means breaking tradition.
Create space for disagreement, but demand commitment.
And maybe most importantly: your job as a CEO isn’t just to know the mission. It’s to protect it, sometimes by changing how you deliver it.
David’s story is a masterclass in RealTalk™ leadership. No fantasy. No spin. Just decisions, made under pressure, with the stakes as high as they get.
Enjoy this episode of Critical Moments!
Share this post