Why did the founder of Linux lambast Rust?

On 2 October 2025, Linux founder Linus Torvalds, while reviewing a pull request for the Linux 6.18 DRM subsystem, lambasted the Rust code for its chaotic formatting and unreasonable format checking tools, calling for more sensible solutions.

● Messy code formatting: Torvalds first criticised developers for submitting Rust code with chaotic text formatting. Documentation across submodules (such as Alloc, DMA/Scatterlist, DRM, and Rust) was ‘haphazardly stitched together,’ resulting in lost indentation levels and poor readability.

● Unreasonable formatting tools: Torvalds denounced Rust's formatting tools as ‘utterly unreasonable.’ While reviewing newly added Rust DRM code in Linux 6.18, he expressed ‘utter disgust’ with Rust's formatting checks. For instance, rustfmt's ‘item merging’ rule might be reasonable in data structure contexts but is ‘utterly wrong’ in use statements, where imported entries are independent. This formatting not only complicates future code merges but also renders rules unpredictable, making adherence difficult for developers. He personally rewrote multiple use crate::xyz; lines into a unified multi-line format, stating bluntly: ‘This is utter nonsense... The tool is making terrible decisions for maintainability.’ He emphasised that this formatting would cause long-term harm, such as unclear merge rules and the loss of the clean ‘add one line to extend’ principle.

Furthermore, Torvalds indicated in the email that he had disregarded rustfmtcheck's results and consulted Rust's official style guide. He called upon the community to seek a ‘more reasonable solution,’ noting that many developers still maintain separate use lines, likely due to rustfmt's ‘unstable heuristics.’