I think at some point you will diverge to the point that sync-ing or submitting patches is unmanageable. I heard stories of projects where every X weeks a pers

I think at some point you will diverge to the point that sync-ing or submitting patches is unmanageable. I heard stories of projects where every X weeks a person gets assigned to syncing, and it's almost guaranteed that the person will quit soon after. The team even had a tool to assist with the process.