Stewardship
Stewardship is easy when nobody uses your technology, but after 26 years, Java has become the most-used programming language in the world trusted by millions of developers worldwide, thus proper stewardship is quite challenging on the best of days. This balance of innovation with conservation is well articulated by the platform stewards and architects. Here are a few talks to watch for a better understanding of how the Java Platform moves forward amidst massive (a word not used lightly) adoption.
The Future of Java & the JDK - Who is in Charge?
Stewardship: The Sobering Parts
(You'll need to watch this video on YouTube as they restrict embedding.)