21CTO

Nov 9, 2026 · Industry Insights

Linus Torvalds: If AI Coding Is Cheating, Why Aren't Compilers?

Linus Torvalds argues that banning AI coding tools is as absurd as banning compilers, emphasizing that engineering competence lies in understanding and responsibility, not tool avoidance, while warning that AI lowers code generation cost but not comprehension, testing, or maintenance burdens.