I've actually spent a lot of time and effort being mentored by high level engineers myself, including E6/E7 engineers who have facilitated interviewing at FAANG companies (interviewing potential new engineers). Turns out, there's not some secret formula to success, but rather a very clear path to success. The same path I've guided people through multiple times.
How do you think these high level engineers felt about most of their candidates applying to roles? I was told that MOST devs can't even make it past the basics, even if they have years of experience.
Imagine having the opportunity to interview at Google and failing because you were missing fundamental skills that you could have easily learned.