Common misconception. Great programmers write clean code and document their work.
I loathe engineers who produce complex, unreadable code and have enough nerve to call that "cool". A great programmer knows when to refrain from saving two lines of code to spare the next person two hours of debugging.
Programmers needing wingmen that clean up after them are in my opinion simply jerks. It's a sign of disrespect towards their coworkers and a sign of a lack of an important skill.
I have met a few and know of a few other great programmers - the ones who do the work of 5-10 lesser programmers - who exactly fit this description (and some that don't). Either way, if you have one of these guys you shouldn't mind having to pay for a minder.
Guys like this are common in the games industry, but I've met a few working in other fields.
I have found that these programmers tend to be idolised and adored by the rest of the coders: good programmers tend to appreciate great craftsmanship. Plus, everyone ups their game in the hope that some of the magic will rub off. It's also easy to take a few clever risks if you have one of these guys standing behind you.
I disagree with -you-, sometimes even coders can buy into hype. If you play up someone's ego and idolize them, they'll just continue to do things like not document their code or - as wulzcer put it [save an extra two lines but cost the next person two hours of debugging]. Never thought I'd be the guy talking like this, but rockstar attitude does little positive for the team.
Kinda funny that Yelp's on this list; I see their office everyday as the elevator passes by on the way to mine, -and- they've one of the worst apis ever. haha
I loathe engineers who produce complex, unreadable code and have enough nerve to call that "cool". A great programmer knows when to refrain from saving two lines of code to spare the next person two hours of debugging.
Programmers needing wingmen that clean up after them are in my opinion simply jerks. It's a sign of disrespect towards their coworkers and a sign of a lack of an important skill.