Almost everyone who has worked really hard to be great at something has an ego about it. In most cases, they really wanted to be better than (often some specific) others.

To pick some well know people, I'd say Feynman and Einstein both had massive egos. They "knew" they were smart. They also had reputations for being really nice and humble.

It would be simpler to just admit that you think DJB is a bit of a jerk. Linus Torvalds is a bit of a jerk too, in most people's estimation. Brilliant jerks, we call them.

They can make great workers and are always terrible leaders.