Appearing as a Mild-Mannered Game Designer, Mike "Maximum Mike" Pondsmith is, in reality, a Time Lord from the Far Future, here to warn all of us of a reality involving Giant Robots, cyber-enhanced Boostergangers, and an Invasion of Teenagers From Outer Space. When not engaged in his day job of Saving the Future of Humanity, he can also be found in the nearest gravel pit, digging up million-year-old dead things with waaaay too many teeth and claws. He calls this relaxation.

Or, if you're more into actual facts…
Mike Pondsmith began his career in games at the California Pacific Computer Company, the publishers of the original Ultima, before founding his own company R. Talsorian Games in 1985. His work as a tabletop roleplaying game designer has earned him several awards, including the 1989 Origins Gamer's Choice Award, for Cyberpunk, and the Nigel D. Findley Memorial Award in 1995, for Castle Falkenstein. His contributions to tabletop gaming were recognized by the hobby at large in 2006 when he was inducted into the Origins Hall of Fame.
In 2000, Mike leaped back into video games as a design manager at Microsoft Game Studios, where he worked on multiple titles, including Blood Wake and Crimson Skies. After working on Matrix Online, Mike spent a stint as a professor of game design before returning to tabletop game design full time. In the early 2010s, he met some game creators from Poland and the rest, as they say, is history.
He's also the guy who killed your Cyberpunk character.