It depends on the thorny bug. I like fixing bugs where the solution is to implement something clever and I learn something in the process. I don't like fixing bugs where I forget a comma or do a subtle one-off error.

Most thorny bugs fall into the latter in my experience.

And both are valid. Some people like building new products and features, some would rather fix existing ones.

I don't think that's the split being referred to. Some people (like myself) see code as a way to achieve a goal, and some people like writing code for the puzzle of it.