In my experience over the past 5 years in EU and Asia: Increasingly many companies wont even talk to you unless you have ‘a’ PhD. You dont need this piece of paper, but it is one hell of a life hack getting one.
Are you trying to apply cold? The way it usually works is that someone you have worked with before vouches for you and that gets you past that screening.
I'm self-taught. My first job I got lucky (or the grace of God, depending on your perspective). After that, it never mattered. I had experience, references, a track record.
And the older you get, the longer the track record, and the more it outweighs the piece of paper.
I'm primarily an embedded guy, though. If you're doing web apps, or desktop, or games, or phones, or high performance, or finance programming, your mileage may vary.
I'm sorry that that has been your experience. (Or maybe I shouldn't be sorry - FAANGs pay pretty well.) But what you say surprises me, for two reasons.
First, FAANGs get far more resumes than they have openings. Demanding a degree seems like an easy, lazy way to eliminate some. I'm kind of surprised that they don't take it. (I mean, they shouldn't take it, but I'm still kind of surprised.)
Second, many engineering organizations that are not FAANGs are trying to model their hiring on FAANG approaches. So I'm surprised that, if FAANGs would hire you, others won't - especially after you have experience at a FAANG.