I don’t want to burst your bubble, but there really are people much smarter than you in this world, and some of them match the description.

If you really still can’t bring yourself to believe this, then my only suggestion is to meet a lot more interesting people.

I've known people who appeared to be in the category you're describing on first blush.

In the cases where I got to see them work later, I found that they weren't nearly as impressive as they looked at first.

Yes, there really are people like Wozniak in the world.

They seem to be around 1 per hundreds of millions, though. The odds of meeting one are ludicrously small.

Take this how you will but in my mind most of them are intellectual yet idiots. Little empathy and no social awareness. They may be technically smarter than their peers but so what?

These are the kind of people that would probably create weapons of mass destruction and if you might discuss with them with the scale of destruction of their products they have nothing to offer yet they will giddily discuss the technical achievements of their projects.

sheesh how insecure can you sound

there are people out there who are better than you in every single regard. dont be jealous, be happy that the world can be composed of people better than you dreamed

What a bold conclusion. I remind you that you don’t know anything about me. But perhaps your characterization is to protect the comfort you draw from your world views.

What kind of person thinks that the people whose “brilliance” led them to invent weapons of mass destruction are better than anyone that cannot solve technical problems as fast as they can? Do you apply the same reasoning for wealth also? I suppose might is right for you?

You might not see this — for whatever reason — but it is indisputable: history is filled with the types of “geniuses” who in their rush to the prestige of being first they leave in their wake destructive effects on humanity. I argue that when people say “these are 1 in a hundred million” that yeah, because most of the people with similar aptitudes would pause and consider the implications of their actions while you argue that they are gods amongst men that we are “lucky to have met”.

> I remind you that you don’t know anything about me.

Yet you are willing to cast ridiculous assertions about groups of people - stating as fact as though you are the canonical source of truth.

> But perhaps your characterization is to protect the comfort you draw from your world views.

Seems like you define projection.

See if you can find a way to get a colleague or two to tell you what they honestly think of you. I'm sure you will be surprised at how they judge you. The trouble is getting honest feedback - people say they want it but few people receive it well so over time most people learn not to give their opinions.

I read a relevant comment today from Madmallard that rings true: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39661279

One of the joys of HN is that many commenters can be thoughtfully blunt.

Moderator also asks that we avoid doing "internet psychology diagnosis": https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38589525 - this thread is not good and I'm not helping sorry...

Do you think the world will be better off if, let’s say, all these powerful super geniuses dedicated 5% of their time to deeply consider questions like “should I be building this” or “should I be working for this corporation”? With the same enthusiasm and rigor that they dedicate to their craft.

If you don’t see how many of these types are so immersed in their craft that they are oblivious to their impact on the world then you really haven’t interacted with many high-functioning types. If you have I encourage you to try and discuss these types of things with them.

Have you ever seen the tv news or read the newspaper when they cover a topic related to what you do for a living? Or a specific event you were a part of organizing? They usually have interviews with the “experts” you’re talking about. How do you feel about their accuracy and experience?

Why do you think such ‘experts’ are anywhere close to bonafide super genius?

Acquiring advanced knowledge on topics by skimming introductory materials is not characteristic of these people in the slightest.