I've seen several cases that looked like this superficially, but never a case where it turned out to be true when more closely investigated. Every single time, it has turned out that the "10x worker" who "writes all the important things and knows everything" has been doing essentially nothing for a very long time. Every single time, the primary features of these people have been:
* They have an opinion on every subject, and express one in every discussion ("leadership")
* For any proposed task, they can give a list of plausible-sounding reasons why it should not be done ("technical expertise")
* Nobody challenges them because doing anything that sounds even a little bit like a challenge results in you getting shouted at ("respected by their peers")
Words in parentheses are what management sees.
Every time I have seen a case where these people have persisted, it has been because a clique of them back each other up and the rest of the people in the company are essentially docile. Every competent engineer who finds themselves in this scenario then discovers that they are (a) outnumbered, and (b) able to find a better job somewhere else, so that's what happens.
* They have an opinion on every subject, and express one in every discussion ("leadership")
* For any proposed task, they can give a list of plausible-sounding reasons why it should not be done ("technical expertise")
* Nobody challenges them because doing anything that sounds even a little bit like a challenge results in you getting shouted at ("respected by their peers")
Words in parentheses are what management sees.
Every time I have seen a case where these people have persisted, it has been because a clique of them back each other up and the rest of the people in the company are essentially docile. Every competent engineer who finds themselves in this scenario then discovers that they are (a) outnumbered, and (b) able to find a better job somewhere else, so that's what happens.