[arevno]

> it's a formalized "old boys club" dynamic

There's a risk that this happens, sure, but it can be more charitably read as allowing/retaining people like Steve Jobs or Linus Torvalds, who, despite being assholes, are effective assholes and usually spew vitriol only in the interests of the product itself.

Weighing annoyance against contributions is a valid methodology. Your concern is valid, as well, so governance should always be introspective enough to ensure that the metrics of "annoying" and "useful" are objective ones and don't grandfather in the insiders.