Imagine grep being funded by salaried devs. It would become a web client with telemetry and garbage collector, written in a nich language and a complex build system.
Like systemd or Google Chrome.
Sad state of affairs:
1. No funding = passion and user-focus, but unsustainable
2. Employment = stable, but rot
3. Funding like core or foundations = professional, but directionless, featurism, detached from userbase, hubris, hidden agendas
4. Crowdfunding = rarely works, unreliable
What now?