Guido van Rossum Discusses the Unlikely Arrival of Python 4.0 and the Future Roadmap

Guido van Rossum, the creator of Python, stated in a Microsoft Reactor interview that a Python 4.0 release is unlikely, and the language will likely continue with incremental 3.x versions.

The end of Python 2 support on January 1, 2020 marked the full transition to Python 3, sparking community discussion about a possible Python 4 schedule.

Van Rossum recalled his earlier tweet suggesting that a move from 3 to 4 would resemble the transition from 1 to 2, not the painful 2‑to‑3 migration.

He emphasized that the core team has no concrete plans for Python 4.0, estimating version numbers may reach 3.33 before any major change.

However, he did not completely rule out a future 4.0 if significant incompatibilities with C extensions arise or if the Global Interpreter Lock (GIL) is removed.

Van Rossum highlighted the upcoming releases: Python 3.10, the performance‑focused 3.11, and the continued incremental roadmap through 3.12 and beyond, stressing a gradual evolution rather than a major version jump.

After retiring from Dropbox, he joined Microsoft in November 2020, committing to improve Python usability across platforms.

The core team aims to double CPython performance in 3.11, with further speed gains expected in 3.12 and 3.13, and they are exploring external projects like Pyston, which already shows a 30% speed improvement over CPython 3.8.8.

Van Rossum also shared his admiration for Rust’s improvements over C++ and noted that Go is the most interesting language among those comparable to Python.

He discussed the gradual addition of optional static typing (type hints) in Python over the past six to seven years, drawing inspiration from TypeScript and acknowledging ongoing efforts to align Python’s type system with modern language trends.

Reference link: https://www.tectalk.co/why-python-4-0-might-never-arrive-according-to-its-creator/