The Story
He Started as a Systems Engineer. He Ended Up Running the Sleep Industry.
In August 1991, a freshly minted Cornell electrical engineering graduate named Joe Megibow walked into a General Motors division in Rochester, New York and started debugging automotive systems. It wasn't glamorous. It paid the bills. And it taught him something the MBA programs can't: how to think in systems. Inputs, outputs, failure modes, feedback loops.
Thirty-four years later, Megibow is CEO of cpap.com, the leading direct-to-consumer sleep apnea brand in America - and the systems he's diagnosing now involve 30 million Americans who can't breathe properly at night, 80% of whom don't even know it.
The path from EDS to cpap.com wasn't linear. There was a stop at Ernst & Young Management Consulting, then Tea Leaf Technology - where for nearly seven years, Megibow worked alongside more than 100 major retailers, learning the operational DNA of the businesses he'd eventually lead. Then Hotels.com. Then Expedia, where as VP and General Manager of the $10B+ U.S. business, he broke a five-year zero-growth streak and launched the "Find Yours" brand campaign.
What connected these moves wasn't the industries. It was the formula: find a consumer business that hasn't woken up to digital, walk in, and rewire it from the inside.
I am extremely excited to join Purple at such an important time in its development. Purple is well positioned as a disrupter in the health and wellness industry.
- Joe Megibow, on joining Purple Innovation as CEO (2018)The Purple Chapter
From Mattresses to Wine to CPAP Machines: The Serial CEO Playbook
When Purple Innovation's board went looking for a CEO in 2018, they ran a six-month hiring process. They wanted a proven digital industry leader. They got Megibow, who took over on October 1, 2018, bought 22,709 units of PRPL stock out of his own pocket, and got to work.
What followed was a textbook operating run. Revenue went from baseline to $700M+. The company opened national showrooms, expanded into more than 2,500 wholesale doors, and reached sustained profitability. Then in late 2021, Megibow stepped down - on the right terms, at the right time, having completed what he came to do.
Purple Innovation (2018-2021)
Took over as CEO and board member. More than doubled revenue to $700M+. Launched showrooms. Expanded to 2,500+ wholesale doors. Delivered sustained profitability before departing on his terms.
Bright Cellars (2022)
Joined as CEO of the data-driven wine discovery platform. Led a turnaround. Then a successful sale. Two moves. Clean exit. That's the pattern.
Casper Sleep (2024-2025)
Hired in January 2024 to lead Casper's comeback. Succeeded Emilie Arel. The DTC mattress brand needed someone who'd already been to the mountain. Megibow had the altitude.
cpap.com (2025-present)
Named CEO of Somnum Bene Holdings LLC in June 2025. Replaced co-founder Johnny Goodman, who transitioned to the board. Megibow's biggest market yet: 30M+ Americans underserved by a fragmented industry.
Before any of this, Megibow spent three years as SVP and Chief Digital Officer at American Eagle Outfitters - overseeing a $550M+ direct-to-consumer business, building the global omnichannel infrastructure from scratch, and running digital marketing, engineering, and product management all at once. He was operating at scale before "omnichannel" was a buzzword anyone used in polite company.
With over 30 million people affected by sleep apnea in the US alone, approximately 80% of whom are still undiagnosed, there is enormous opportunity.
- Joe Megibow, on joining cpap.com (2025)The Engineer Mind
B.S. Electrical Engineering. Three Decades of Consumer Commerce. Zero Wasted Moves.
Most consumer brand CEOs come from marketing or finance. Megibow is wired differently. His Cornell electrical engineering degree isn't a footnote - it's a frame. He approaches consumer businesses the way an engineer approaches a circuit: trace the flow, find the resistance, reduce it.
At Expedia, the resistance was stagnation. Five years of zero growth. Megibow identified the signal in the noise, launched a brand campaign, and broke the cycle. At Purple, it was distribution: an e-commerce-first brand that needed to learn physical retail without losing the digital edge. He did both simultaneously. At Bright Cellars, it was unit economics.
Digital Analytics Association - Practitioner of the Year (2011)
Recognized for his work at Expedia, where he built data-driven digital capabilities that became a model for the industry. He served on the DAA board for four years and was named Director Emeritus.
Before the CEO era, Megibow spent nearly seven years at Tea Leaf Technology - a customer experience analytics platform later acquired by IBM. His clients were major retailers and corporations. He was essentially a diagnostician for other companies' digital problems before he started solving his own. That context is visible in every role he's taken since.
Named Practitioner of the Year by the Digital Analytics Association in 2011 - a community of people who believe data should inform everything, not decorate dashboards. He served on the DAA board for four years. The credential is technical. The application has always been commercial.
Track Record
The Numbers That Matter
- More than doubled Purple Innovation's revenue to $700M+ while driving the company to sustained profitability
- Broke Expedia.com's five-year zero-growth cycle as VP & General Manager with full P&L responsibility
- Oversaw transformation of American Eagle Outfitters' $550M+ direct-to-consumer business
- Launched Purple Innovation's national showroom network and expanded to 2,500+ wholesale doors
- Served as Chairman of Mobiata - later acquired by Expedia Group
- Led Tea Leaf Technology's field engineering across 100+ major retailers and corporations
- Led Bright Cellars through a successful turnaround and sale
- Named Digital Analytics Association Practitioner of the Year (2011); served on DAA board 4 years
- Board Director, Lamps Plus - the largest D2C lighting retailer in the United States
- Former Board Director, Red Lion Hotel Corporation
Career Timeline
30+ Years, One Direction
1991
Graduated Cornell University (B.S. Electrical Engineering). Joined Electronic Data Systems (a GM division) as Systems Engineer in Rochester, NY and Troy, MI.
1994-1996
Enrolled in University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Graduated with an MBA in 1996.
1996-2000
Manager at Ernst & Young Management Consulting (now CapGemini). Three and a half years building digital strategy foundations.
2000-2006
Director of Field Engineering at Tea Leaf Technology (later acquired by IBM). Worked with 100+ major retailers. Nearly seven years learning the operational mechanics of retail from the ground up.
2006-2009
VP of Customer Experience and Online Marketing at Hotels.com. First senior digital role in consumer travel.
2010-2012
VP of Mobile & eCommerce Optimization, then VP & GM at Expedia.com ($10B+ U.S. business). Named Chairman of Mobiata. Broke Expedia's five-year zero-growth cycle. Named DAA Practitioner of the Year.
2012-2015
SVP & Chief Digital Officer at American Eagle Outfitters. Led the $550M+ D2C business. Built global omnichannel strategy, digital marketing, engineering, and product management.
2015-2018
Independent consultant to Advent International, the $41B global PE firm. Also joined Red Lion Hotel Corporation's board (2017).
2018-2021
CEO & Board Member of Purple Innovation (NASDAQ: PRPL). More than doubled revenue to $700M+. National showrooms. 2,500+ wholesale doors. Sustained profitability. Clean exit.
2022
CEO of Bright Cellars. Led the data-driven wine discovery platform through a turnaround and a successful sale.
2024
Appointed CEO of Casper Sleep Inc. (January 2024). Succeeded Emilie Arel. Led the comeback of the iconic DTC mattress brand.
2025
Appointed CEO of cpap.com / Somnum Bene Holdings LLC (June 2025). His most expansive market yet: 30M+ Americans with sleep apnea, 80% still undiagnosed.
Education
Where It Started
Fast Facts
The Details That Don't Fit Anywhere Else
Born on Valentine's Day, February 14, 1969. The man who sells comfort products was born on the most commercial romantic holiday of the year. Make of that what you will.
His Cornell degree is in electrical engineering. Most consumer brand CEOs can't debug a circuit. Megibow could - and it shows in how he thinks about systems.
Bought 22,709 units of Purple Innovation stock (PRPL) out of his own pocket when he joined as CEO. That's not a formality - that's conviction.
Between mattresses and CPAP machines, he ran a wine company. Bright Cellars. Data-driven wine discovery. The man has range.
Was named Digital Analytics Association Practitioner of the Year in 2011 - before "data-driven" became everyone's favorite adjective.
The six-month search Purple Innovation ran to find Megibow as CEO is itself a compliment. They knew what they needed and went looking precisely for that.
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