> Most developers I know are frequently hounded by recruiters because the demand for senior developers is stupid ridiculous.

Maybe in your bubble. My experience is that very few recruiters are hounding me, because most of them don't know I exist. I don't live or work in a tech hub, I don't work for a famous company, and I haven't published anything. I don't think that's a particularly unusual position to be in.

It's absolutely nothing to do with talent or experience, though.