I should add here that "the best programmers" are, quite frankly, not always people I want to work with. I worked under a totally brilliant tech lead for a while, one of the finest programmers I've ever met. But he relished being an asshole, and really grated on people. I learned as much from him as I've ever learned from anyone, and I actually kind of like him as a person, but I'm so glad I don't have to work with him anymore.

Brilliant people don't always play well with others, and software is (in my world at least) a team effort. I want to work with people who pull the team together, not tear it apart, no matter how talented they are technically.