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'I'm not a programmer' anymore: Linus Torvalds on the only two tools he uses now

Linus Torvalds: 'I'm not a programmer anymore.' Here's what changed.

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The KeyNews take

Why it matters

The creator of Linux is publicly shifting his development practice around AI tooling, signaling a watershed moment for how foundational open-source infrastructure maintainers are adapting to LLM-assisted coding. This is a bellwether for broader adoption patterns among elite technologists.

The key facts

6 to know
  1. Linus Torvalds statement: 'I'm not a programmer anymore'

  2. Context: Open Source Summit Mumbai (Jul 2026)

  3. Torvalds now uses only two AI tools for kernel development

  4. Discussion centered on 'pain and power of AI in the kernel'

  5. Linux deprecating support for 'museum' technology

  6. Signals shift in how foundational infrastructure maintainers use AI tooling

Go to the source

ZDNet AIzdnet.com

Publisher excerpt: At the Open Source Summit in Mumbai, Torvalds discusses the pain and power of AI in the kernel, and why Linux no longer supports 'museum' technology.
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