ClaimArticle
AI is just a tool like other tools developers use, and it is clearly useful.
Torvalds frames AI simply as another useful tool in the developer's toolkit, not something categorically different or threatening. ✦ AI generated
Linus Torvalds · Simon Willison's Weblog · 2026-07-16 · original ↗
AI is a tool, just like other tools we use. And it's clearly a useful one.
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Around this claim
Evidence · 5
Code review and testing are increasingly done by AI, enabling trust in code merged at a pace no human can manually review.Jarred Sumner · The Pragmatic Engineer · conf 85%AI is already an incredible product designer, but its value lies in being accessible to everyone as a tool rather than replacing human designers.Ian Silber · Lenny's Podcast · conf 80%The value of AI is being realized primarily through writing software, and despite the hype around agents, enterprises will discover they still need strong software engineering capability and centralized infrastructure — which is why owning a strong IDE like Cursor's is strategically critical.David Friedberg · All-In Podcast · conf 75%Both AI enthusiasts and skeptics should tell the complete story by acknowledging AI’s benefits as well as its costs.Charity Majors · The Pragmatic Engineer · conf 65%Giving people tools to create their own tools fundamentally changes the equation of what software can be.Thomas Paul Mann · Platformer · conf 60%
In practice · 2
Claire is now splitting her AI tool usage time across multiple platforms based on their respective strengthsClaire Vo · Lenny's Newsletter · conf 80%Windows Task Manager was a side project I wrote at home that shipped at 87K because I refused to link the C runtime — and it still runs on billions of machines today with the original code mostly intact.Dave Plummer · Lex Fridman · conf 70%
Context · 3
The best test for whether a productivity tool actually works is longevity—whether you keep using it on new machines and can point to where it saves time.Casey Newton · Platformer · conf 70%When using AI tools, aim for mutual amplification where both the agent and the developer improve through logged decisions and learning.Addy Osmani · The Pragmatic Engineer · conf 70%For designers, following the vision matters more than producing something impressive.Yana Welinder · Lenny's Newsletter · conf 65%
Counterpoint · 2
The current crop of college graduates, who used AI tools throughout their education, are 'AI natives' with a massive advantage — 80% of applicants to my program chose vibe-coding over writing a traditional memo.Bill Gurley · All-In Podcast · conf 75%Computer programming is beautiful and useless, and that intrinsic beauty — not vocational utility — is the reason to study it, much like painting or origami.Allison Parrish · CoRecursive · conf 70%
This moment responds to
provides context → AI agents can handle end-to-end vendor outreach and build full e-commerce sites with integrated paymentsHost · Lenny's Newsletterprovides context → AI enables a complete workflow from initial sketch to product photography and influencer content in a single sessionHost · Lenny's Newslettersupports → If you swap the word 'AI' for 'software' whenever you read about it, the topic becomes less scary and more understandable, because AI is just software — sometimes very good software — and should be treated accordingly.David Pierce · Platformerrebuts → AI coding tools have not made developers dramatically more productive; a study found only a tiny uptick in the actual amount of high-quality software being shipped.Jeremy Howard · Machine Learning Street Talkprovides context → Codex combined with computer use allows operation of complex 3D design software without prior learningHost · Lenny's Newsletter