Why do we need so many random distributions?

There are so many Linux operating systems and their forks. The difference between some of them is just a matter of flavor.

Just for Ubuntu: Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Lubuntu, Ubuntu MATE, Ubuntu Budgie, Ubuntu Studio, Ubuntu Unity, Edubuntu, Ubuntu Kylin, Mint, Pop!_OS, Zorin OS, elementary OS, KDE neon, Peppermint OS, Bodhi Linux, LXLE, Kali, Rescatux, CAINE, Bio-Linux, Mythbuntu, Ubuntu Core. Probably there are more.

Maybe it’s better to free up resources and allocate them to open source projects that matter.

When Ubuntu switched to Unity as the default desktop the positioning of the launcher made things nigh on unusable for me. I expressed my concerns on their IRC channel, I even worked on a POC (in the obscure scripting language they used) to allow repositioning it to the bottom of the screen. It was received poorly - they made it clear that they wouldn't support such a thing, and how dare you question our "design decision" (their words). Maybe things have changed since but I still find it hard to muster any sympathy. Good riddance.