They did this by breaking systems (DNS, build pipelines, etc), producing code so bad that it had to be rewritten from scratch, and distracting everyone on the team through drama.
They also did it through endless requests for help - not the kind where they learn from it, though. The kind where they ask the exact same question next week of someone else. They would cycle through asking everyone on the team about the minutiae of their job, because they had no idea how to do it themselves.
I realise that the idea of the '10x rockstar' is an unpleasant one. But I also know that the best people I've worked with over the years were at least ten times better than the worst.
Let me add that I enjoy teaching folks, that I enjoy being a multiplier even if it means I won’t be an additive. I am also an apologist, and willing to believe that people are adding important ingredients to a team or output that aren’t immediately obvious or visible.
But -x folks exist.
Unfortunately the -x folks often DO have significant skills at hiding their negative impact.
Any who remain employed, while being persistently -x (or -anything) would have to.