Would we? Your statement implies that creating the kind of environment Linux is developed in somehow weeds out the bad developers while retaining the good ones.

Would we? Your statement implies that creating the kind of environment Linux is developed in somehow weeds out the bad developers while retaining the good ones. Yet, I am not aware of any data that would suggests a positive correlation between development abilities and resilience towards a hostile work environment. Therefore, we can assume that good contributors, too, will be put off, thereby making the project worse than it could be. The best example of this is Alan Cox who did a lot of good work before leaving the Kernel project. I don't think anyone would argue that his exit made the project stronger.