If there was indeed a superior way of developing software, why doesn't anyone take this knowledge and out-compete for example Linux? It has literally hundreds o

If there was indeed a superior way of developing software, why doesn't anyone take this knowledge and out-compete for example Linux? It has literally hundreds of branches of all kinds (stable branches, feature branches, test branches), this should be easy pickings! Or out-compete Google or Microsoft which, contrary to whats said in this article, use branches and probably in all their big projects. Sorry, I don't buy it. I suspect that if you are religiously against branches you will just have to re-invent them by some other name.