Rust LA kicks off 2026 with a packed community meetup in Los Angeles

Rust LA’s first meetup of 2026 got the year off to a strong start. A full room, plenty of familiar faces, and just as many people attending for the first time.
Hosted by Lawrence Harvey, the event marked the next step for Rust in Los Angeles, building on the momentum the community has developed over the past five years.

 

With more than 75 people in attendance, the evening was about bringing people together, whether they were new to Rust or had been working with it for years.

 

A community-first evening

This wasn’t a sales event, and it wasn’t meant to be. The aim was to create a space where people could listen, learn, and talk to one another. A quick show of hands early on showed just how mixed the room was, from first-time Rust users to engineers with over a decade of experience.

 

That mix set the tone for the rest of the night.

 

A big thank you to everyone who helped make the event happen, especially Sean Urbain and the wider Lawrence Harvey team: George Davies, Ross Townsend, Madeleine Shelest, Dan O'Callaghan, and Tessa Saxe. From organising the details to welcoming people on the night, it was a real team effort.

 

Learning by doing with Rust

The first talk came from Alyssa Evans, who shared her own journey learning Rust and applying it in real-world work. Rather than focusing on theory, Alyssa talked through how she learned by experimenting, making mistakes, and building things in public. 

 

She covered what helped her get comfortable with Rust, where she ran into challenges, and how those challenges shaped the way she now approaches the language. For many in the room, it was a relatable reminder that learning Rust is rarely linear, and that’s okay.

 

 

Rust in production at scale

The second talk was delivered by Greg Schoeninger, Founder and CEO of Oxen.ai. Greg spoke about how his team is using Rust to build tools that manage and version very large datasets for AI and machine learning.

 

He walked through the thinking behind the project and why Rust has been a good fit for building something that needs to be fast, reliable, and easy to maintain over time. It gave the room a clear picture of how Rust is being used in real production environments, as a long-term choice.

 

 

What’s next for Rust LA

The next Rust LA meetup is already on the calendar. On 25 February, the group will be back with talks covering Rust’s role in modern applications, including AI, internationalisation, and large-scale systems. Based on the turnout for this first event, interest is only going one way!

 

At Lawrence Harvey, supporting Rust LA is about backing the communities we work with every day, creating space for people to learn from one another and build meaningful connections.

 

If you’re new to Rust or have been working with it for years, you’re welcome. We’re looking forward to the next one. Sign up here!