Who created the Python programming language?

Who created the Python programming language? Guido van Rossum created it. The Dutch programmer began designing Python in December 1989 while working at Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI) in the Netherlands.

Python was intended as a successor to ABC, a teaching-oriented language. Van Rossum wanted a language that combined readability, expressive power, and practical access to operating-system features. He remained Python’s principal decision-maker for decades and was informally called its “Benevolent Dictator for Life” until stepping down in 2018.

Python’s name is not derived from the snake. Van Rossum chose it after the British comedy group Monty Python, whose television series Monty Python’s Flying Circus he enjoyed. The language is now developed by a global community under the stewardship of the Python Software Foundation.

A common mix-up is confusing Python’s creator with the organization that maintains it today. Guido van Rossum designed and started Python; the Python Software Foundation supports its modern development and community.