"best and brightest" is subjective. You can point to the peak of academics and say it is them. Or the ones making the most money. Or the ones making the best-known brands. Or the ones quietly keeping systems up and running. Or even the ones who gave up the game and are peacefully pursuing their own hobbies outside of the industry.

So you can probably answer your own question by defining what those terms mean to you, and following where that leads.