> it certainly is not direct democracy

You appear to make up your own extreme definition of what the words "direct democracy" should be and what they should mean. But it's not like that. There are ways words and condepts are commonly used. [1]

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_democracy

Looks like I need a new word to describe a system where everyone rules, rather than certain people or organization, since both democracy and direct democracy are apparently taken to describe systems where all people don’t actually rule. Maybe “actual true direct pure democracy” should do.

> Maybe “actual true direct pure democracy” should do.

That would certainly be clearer :)

So many towns where I live put issues on the agenda for town meetings. How this works in practice is that, if there's some issue that someone (like a developer) feels strongly about, they pack the town meeting with allies and push it through because most people probably don't care much and don't even attend the meeting.

I'd argue that it's closest practical example of direct democracy. As in initiatives and referendums.

But I'm always happy to learn if you can come up with a counter example.