John Carmack

John Carmack is a programming mastermind that is far smarter than any of us could hope to be. His work includes DOOM, which makes his contribution to society massive.

Open Source Proponent
John Carmack is a big fan of sharing. DOOM's source code is freely available for examination.

Experimentation
Carmack likes to work on hardware more than video games, it seems. He's involved in aeronautics and is even trying to build a VR headset, shown above. His focus on tech exploitation and his ability to recognize various strengths and weaknesses in hardware is invaluable for any designer.