I think the need for 10x developers is possible overstated on the internet. In my experience, teams generally figure out how to work around medicore-to-great developers and they're typically not an issue. People online also tend to wear their 40+ hour workweeks like a badge of honor. Many of the people who are 10-20 hour workers like to keep their heads down, both on the internet and in real life, so maybe they're underrepresented.

Ultimately, if no one is taking issue with you, you are getting your tasks done, and you are happy with your pay, then you are exactly where you should be.

To answer the question in the thread title: I don't think most developers are lying about how much work they do, I just think it skews higher online, and the people who work less don't really care to share, or aren't around to share.

> I think the need for 10x developers is possible overstated on the internet.

I don't really have any opinion one way or the other in most of this, but this part of your comment I completely agree with. Sure there are incredible talented people writing code, but the vast majority, even those writing Linux, Kubernetes or Postgresql, they aren't smarter than you and me, at least not by much.

There where a blog post by Jacob Kaplan-Moss "Embrace the Grind" which I pretty much agree with. Doing the work no one else care to do and just stick with it, even if it's boring for two weeks, that's the stuff that will make you look like a 10x developer (well maybe 2x).

What is your definition of progress? What specifically are you giving up on? What are you not good enough at? I see your frustration, but it's hard to understand what you believe your failure is.

Not being good enough after 5 years to pass a FAANG interview.