In reply to Matt Cromwell.

That's a great article, but it's not as relevant in this case. Have you ever met Des? He's an excellent leader and product visionary that drive's Intercom's product development.

Who does that for WordPress? Who manages the long-term vision of WordPress? Who makes product decisions? It's hard to build a great product, but it's impossible to do by committee.

The core team does a great job, but even open source projects need a consistent leader who takes a consistent, active role in steering the ship. They don't need to drive the whole process, but they do need to steer it--focus is everything.