With 5ftF, WordPress (core) contributions moved from individual volunteer contributors to corporate full-time employed professional contributions. Why would individual spend a lot of theirs time, energy, and in the end, money, when there is a full fleet of “contributors” who are actually doing that for salary?
What’s also important is that voice of those individuals are not heard anymore, contributions are “small”. Professional “contributors” work full time and only on that job so they can participate on meetings, Slack, etc; they are PAID to do that. For individuals to have all of that, plus to have meaningful contribution, they would need to sacrifice a lot. They have REAL source of income. When they contribute, they need either to give up on time they are paid for, or to give up their own free time. Professional “contributors” don’t have to make such a choice.
It’s no wonder that WP is losing market share, they completely lost a touch with regular folks.