Linux 7.4-rc1 Lands Biggest-Ever Merge Window With 19,671 Commits as AI-Tagged Fixes Jump 2.4x

Linus Torvalds released Linux 7.4-rc1 on Nov 1 with 19,671 commits — the largest merge window in the kernel's ~35-year history and 21% above 7.3. Commits declaring AI assistance rose roughly 2.4x in the window, and Torvalds said he is 'much happier' with AI fixes landing in merges than piling up during stabilization. He also disclosed using Anthropic's Claude to prototype a file-read optimization and remove outdated functions, uncovering three bugs in the process.