That's my personal opinion as well (that working for other people is generally boring), but I don't think it follows for all developers (or all of "the best developers").
What I do think is true is that the best developers you read about online tend to work for themselves. But there's selection bias there: succeeding as an independent (whether as a consultant or building your own product) tends to require a keen sense of self-marketing, and on top of that having online communities to connect with (HN, OSS, etc) is especially appealing when you don't have coworkers in the same office as you to shoot the shit with.
What I do think is true is that the best developers you read about online tend to work for themselves. But there's selection bias there: succeeding as an independent (whether as a consultant or building your own product) tends to require a keen sense of self-marketing, and on top of that having online communities to connect with (HN, OSS, etc) is especially appealing when you don't have coworkers in the same office as you to shoot the shit with.