Unlike many good engineers, however, it appeared he had the cojones and confidence to push his ideas. It's an unfortunate reality that confidence and ambition can trump raw talent almost any day of the week.

Why is it an unfortunate reality? I think that is the coolest thing :)

Would you rather buy something that isn't too good but is marketed well? Or something that's awesome but poorly marketed?

IMHO this is a false dichotomy.

Anyway, I understood your original point to be "Fortune favors the brave" and I replied that this is cool because I can compete with my big brass balls ;-) I don't necessarily have to be as smart as my competitors.

Oh totally, it's cool for people who are in that camp :) Not sure it's so good for the world as a whole though. There are plenty of stories of shy, retiring mathematicians and scientists who have done great work only to be ignored.