Assuming that linked code is distributed. You can use it internally as much as you want. (With the caveat that distribution has a broader meeting under AzGPL.)
You are 100% correct that you can execute/link/etc. GPLed code without following the terms of the license when you're not distributing your code. But I'm not referring to distribution. I'm saying that if you were to link your own non-GPLed code to GPLed code _and_ you were to distribute it, your code would not automatically become GPLed code. You would be infringing upon copyright. There are multiple options to stop that infringement which do not involve GPLing your code.
