In my opinion decentralized is good to rally around.. but when it comes to achieving results you put that in the hands of the most capapble. Which ultimately exists as a small group... of ELITES. The coders here are that collective. With anything really there's always a nucleus which governs, commands, determines.. etc..
Human = MIND over BODY
CELLS = nuclei (organelles) command function.
Solar System - SUN over PLANETS
Galaxies = Expression of matter around Black Hole.
BLACK HOLE = Event horizon determined by central singularity (unknown but slowly understood)
This pattern rules everything really.
There's much more too it but when you are too fragmented you are vulnerable to failure and total extinction. Closed system with a hierarchical structure dominate in business because we exists also ruled by cycles. Quarterly analysis on performance can then be realised easily and weak players, as I said, get replaced. No successful business continues to repeat something that isn't leading them to their goal.
It's already well realised in blockchain that the end result will be a mix of the two. You can't become mainstream when what you offer is.. "here's the code, you build it how you want.." because that is not then what the mainstream are accustomed to or ever will be. Enthusiasts will find that appealing but the rest just pass.
.
Also I don't mean to down play or even denounce community projects and initiatives. I see that you are very passionate and I fully believe that the users can bring value just as much as the core developers.
My point on nuclei strength is on fundamentals like SMTs.
Once that is built I do believe that projects can explode.