Somebody owns admin privileges on the shared repo and site. Somebody knows the passwords. Somebody is recognized by outsiders as the voice and face. Somebody owns the domain.
Most importantly, somebody does a large enough proportion of work to dominate the shape of the project. And that goes to the most important force in open-source governance: the tyranny of volunteerism.
Nobody tells a volunteer what to do. A leader gives no orders. A leader helps a volunteer choose what to work on. A leader helps a volunteer learn how to be effective. A leader enables.
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