This might have been the most important meeting in Basecamp's history, so it just feels odd that the co founder was apparently so sick he couldn't sit at his desk for an hour or two. Or even just during the initial introductions before he turned his camera off.

Maybe he was that sick, but I would be kind of pissed if I were one of the employees. The power dynamic is weird, because if a regular employee were sick they would definitely feel the pressure to show up at a desk, on camera, if they were trying to make their case in this meeting.