Why Linus Torvalds Says He’s No Longer a Programmer – Lessons from the European Open‑Source Summit

Reading guide: While the world praises Linus Torvalds for creating Linux, he considers Git his proudest achievement, capable of even greater influence.

Recently, at the European Open‑Source Summit in Lyon, France, Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux, sat down for a conversation with Dirk Hohndel, VMware’s chief open‑source officer.

Torvalds stated that he no longer sees himself as a programmer. He explained, “I no longer write code. My code lives in email patches. People send me patches, I reply with pseudo‑code, and I edit patches—sometimes even untested ones—directly in the email. My job is to tell people in the mail what I think should be done. That’s my work now, not programming.”

When asked what his daily work entails, Torvalds replied, “Reading mail and writing mail, then saying ‘no’ to some patches or requests. This lets developers know that if I reject them, they should improve their code.”

He added that obvious code changes sometimes need no message, but explaining why a change is made helps management and builds trust: “If you can explain your code to me, I’ll trust what you wrote.”

In short, Torvalds has become a code manager and maintainer rather than a developer.

He enjoys the role, aiming to respond quickly—accepting or rejecting patches within a day and merging within a week—while maintaining the responsibilities of a maintainer.

Dirk reminded him that he isn’t a boring person; Torvalds once wrote an autobiography, Just for Fun . Although he no longer codes on a 4 MB memory PC, he still finds the work enjoyable.

Today, development is easier thanks to better tools, richer documentation, and thriving communities, fostering a culture of sharing and helping newcomers.

Torvalds admitted that some current rules make things less fun compared to the past, when there was more freedom and excitement.

He also confessed to experiencing severe imposter syndrome, doubting his own abilities despite his contributions.

Even though Linux now runs on virtually any device—from PCs to phones and embedded systems—Torvalds sometimes wonders if Linux is merely a reimplementation of Unix.

Torvalds emphasized that his goal is not just to be better than others but to prove he can create innovative projects. He said, “Git proved that I could achieve miracles.”

He modestly credited the broader community for Git’s success, noting he only maintained it for six months and that the real credit belongs to many contributors.

Years later, Git has fundamentally changed software development; if all software now includes open‑source components, Git’s impact on development practices is immense.

After the summit, the crowd that once tried to “attack” him dispersed, and many recognized the honor he deserves—perhaps most notably for Git, which, while less brand‑recognizable than Linux, has unleashed the potential of countless similar projects.

Additional note: Linus was born in 1969 and is 50 years old.

Source: TechRepublic