Which company created the Java programming language in the 1990s?

Sun Microsystems created the Java programming language in the 1990s.

James Gosling, Mike Sheridan, and Patrick Naughton began work on the language at Sun in 1991. It was initially called Oak, but the name changed to Java before its public release. Java was formally introduced at SunWorld in May 1995 with the slogan “Write Once, Run Anywhere,” emphasizing portability through the Java virtual machine.

The language became widely used for enterprise software, web applications, Android development, and server systems. Its syntax was influenced by C and C++, while its runtime model aimed to make programs less dependent on a particular processor or operating system.

Oracle acquired Sun Microsystems in 2010 and consequently became the steward of Java. This means Oracle is associated with Java today, but Sun Microsystems is the company that created it. Java is also different from JavaScript, despite their similar names.