How are top SM Investors so knowledgeable

Was watching Tom Purcell's talk at Georgetown on YouTube and it really surprised me how much he knew about everything from emerging markets, to obscure companies, to economics, to crypto, etc. He was able to talk about everything with such detail and elaborate for minutes on end. 

Are all hedge fund investors like this and what do they do to become so knowledgeable? Is it just a combination of reading books and experience?

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