Ask HN: Inspiring software engineering carriers

Often times, I wonder about the people behind the greatest software in this world. I am not talking managers here, just programmers who actually get their hands "dirty" and build the stuff.

How did they come up with their ideas / solutions?

Did they study any specific topics?

How do they work? How do they make the most out of the limited amount of hours a day?

Without digging too deep into their private life, what kind of background do they have? What kind of personality?

At what companies did they start their careers?

Is there anything they have in common?

What makes them unique?

I am not expecting answers to all the questions, I am just genuinely curious about the brightest minds in the software engineering field and to understand how they got to write software that humanity needs and relies on.