Software engineers who applied for an O-1A or EB-1A — what evidence actually mattered?

I'm a backend developer looking into US visa options (O-1A / EB-1A route) for myself, without a firm doing everything for me, and I'm curious about first-hand experience from other engineers here.What I'd love to know:- Did going DIY vs. with a lawyer actually change your odds, in your experience?- Which parts of your portfolio did USCIS seem to care about — open-source work, conference talks, press mentions, recommendation letters, salary data?- Did anyone get an RFE, and what did you do about it?- How long did premium processing actually take in your case?Most of what I find online is law-firm marketing promising the world. Would genuinely appreciate hearing what worked (or didn't) for real people.