The NetBSD Core Group

If the NetBSD Project were a large company, the NetBSD core group would be the top management.

No, it's not just dead weight. Rather, members of the core group set the direction and goals of the NetBSD Project as a whole, try to promote people's interest in the NetBSD Project and the system it produces, and consider the serious architectural questions that need to be addressed if the NetBSD Project is going to keep producing a viable system.