| Model | How it works | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| BDFL (Benevolent Dictator For Life) | One founder has final say | Linux (Torvalds), Python (Guido van Rossum, until 2018) |
| Meritocracy / do-ocracy | Influence earned through sustained contribution; committers vote | Apache Software Foundation projects |
| Steering committee / council | Elected or appointed group makes decisions | Kubernetes, Rust, Python (post-2018) |
| Foundation-hosted | A neutral non-profit owns trademarks and infrastructure | Linux Foundation, CNCF, Apache, Eclipse, OpenJS |
| Single-vendor | A company owns the project and the roadmap | Many "open core" projects |
| Liberal contribution | Commit access granted freely to anyone with a merged change | Node.js, Rust ecosystem crates |
Foundations matter because they make a project vendor-neutral: no single company can relicense it or kill it. That's why OpenTofu and Valkey went to the Linux Foundation.