I was going to pass on this post, since I am not involved with WordPress Meetup.

In her announcement, Ms. Wells gives a clear-enough peek at the Meetup future;
Over time, we’ll be talking to organizers and looking at what other expenses we can absorb and what other support we can provide to local groups. For now, we’re starting with the organizer dues.

With the "WordPress" moniker for the subdomain name on Meetup, how was this ever NOT going to be brand-compliant with the front office?

The vast, overwhelming part of the greater overall WordPress community & 'world', consists of a pristine Great Unwashed. Statistically, hardly any WP-users are actually involved with anything even semi-quasi-officially WordPress.

WordPress 'horns in' on a mere microscopic slice of the WordPress scene. Partly, it would be too big a job, to go Borg on it. Partly it really 'works', to let it be organic. Like compost ... which is the base of the whole Biosphere. Humble, but effective.

Those who want/prefer to be independent ... join the crowd. Easily 99.99% of us are, have been, and will remain so.

Anything branded as "WordPress" has to be kept on-message, and that message has to be centrally-managed.

The real action is on the outside.