To 2., yes - you just have to look in the right places. You're sure to find them in middle/high school or university robotics teams, for example.

When computing was niche, you really only got into if you had a real interest in it (I assume - I wasn't around back then). That's changed, but it doesn't mean that that category doesn't exist anymore. If anything, it's probably way larger in absolute terms, if a smaller proportion of people who work on software in general.