At 8/8 double exos are trotally manageable with no superweapons until i think 5th exo or so.
The direct damage golems like armor and BW are the hardest to fight, as they deal loads and loads of damage and even focus-firing them with your entire regular fleet takes quite a while.
Thats where SC or golems come in handy. You can either ram the exo golems, or snipe them with arty golem; both ways are super effective.
So in my opinion the current situation is fine. If you have only the botnet on, you shouldnt have too much trouble with exos.
If you are getting double or triple exos, it means you have access to anti-exo weaponry and should be fine.
I mean sure, on 10/10 the story is different, as with all those multipliers you probably wouldnt even survive the first few waves that come before you get that weaponry. Well, fine, i do agree the 10/10 games should have a slightly easier start.
After all, its more entertaining to see people get crushed later in the game than in first 30 minutes.