Experts should use AI too. Linus Torvalds does.

A top engineer using AI on hard work, and checking every result, is the model to copy.

Linus Torvalds is using Claude Code to help develop Linux kernel patches. That should retire the idea that AI assistance is mainly for beginners.

In his 10 October 2026 write-up, he credits the tool with code, test programs, review help and the first draft of the explanation, all under his direction. The patch targets a bottleneck when several threads make small reads from the same cached file. In his laptop test, the cost per read fell roughly fourfold. He’s clear that it’s experimental, with open issues still to fix.

The key point: expertise is what makes the tool useful. Torvalds can direct and challenge the output because he understands the problem. Someone still has to choose the problem, define what must not break and judge whether the evidence holds. That job doesn’t go away.

The tools are also moving from answering to doing. Claude Code can read a codebase, edit files and run commands. So the questions become operational: what is it allowed to change, what evidence do we need, and who signs off?

For HR, I’d draw four conclusions:

• Include experienced people in AI programs. They’re the ones who can tell a good demo from a reliable service.
• Don’t mandate AI for everything. Ask for an informed choice and evidence of value.
• Measure the full effort to an accepted result (preparation, review, testing, fixes), not the volume generated.
• Treat junior colleagues differently. They’re still building the judgment experts bring to the tool.

A faster benchmark isn’t a measured productivity gain, and an experimental patch isn’t a shipped feature. The right stance for leaders is simple: give capable people good tools, set clear boundaries and look hard at the outcome. Then ask where the same combination could improve an organization’s own work, and how you’d know.

Prompted by Punto Informatico · Linus Torvalds usa Claude Code per ottimizzare Linux, la svolta. Technical details from Linus Torvalds · Page-cache patch write-up (Linux repository mirror); tool capabilities from Anthropic · Claude Code overview. The HR reading is mine.