The article discusses the challenges of leadership transitions in open source projects, emphasizing the risks of the Benevolent Dictator For Life model. It highlights the Mastodon project's successful power transfer and urges project leaders to establish succession plans to ensure their projects endure beyond their founding members.

Selectorate theory analyzes how political leaders maintain power through the dynamics of their support base. It categorizes political systems based on the size of their coalitions and outlines the distribution of public and private goods to retain loyalty among supporters. The theory has broad applications, influencing studies on various political and economic phenomena.