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ZDNET's key takeaways
Some developers don't like Rust, but Linus approves of it becoming a mainstream part of the Linux kernel.
Torvalds thinks AI's best use may be to help get young developers excited about programming.
Torvalds is pleased that AI has prompted Nvidia to become a significant contributor to the Linux kernel.
At the Linux Foundation's Open Source Summit Korea 2025, Linus Torvalds, creator of Linux and Git, joined longtime collaborator Dirk Hohndel, Verizon's head of open-source programs, for a much-anticipated keynote discussion on Linux, Rust, and -- because who doesn't talk about it now -- artificial intelligence (AI). The pair's candid, conversational format delivered fresh insights into the evolution of Linux, current technology trends, and the ongoing resilience of the open-source community.
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Torvalds opened by reflecting on his role: "For the last almost 20 years, I've not been a programmer. I'm a technical lead and maintainer…all the real work is done by other people." He emphasized the persistent need for maintenance, even as Linux matures: "Every single release has over 1,000 contributors, and that's every two months," Torvalds noted, highlighting how the project thrives on continuous improvements and adapts to hardware innovations.
He added, "As long as people continue to make new hardware, we will have more work to be done on the kernel side. But even without that, I'm somewhat surprised that, 35 years into the project, we're still fixing up core kernel code and making things prettier and making them more maintainable and stable."
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