open source is not just one thing. I think of it like a bunch of tribes loosely operating in amongst each other with some shared tenets (followed as necessary) and their internal own cultures.

But that's the same as any organization. In normal business, you're meant to follow the main tenet of "maximize profit", "treat customers well". Businesses follow those tenets as they see fit. There's no reason for every open source project to be cookie cutter.