Will Python 4 Ever Arrive? Guido van Rossum Explains Why It Might Not

On January 1, 2020, Python officially ended support for Python 2, marking the full transition to Python 3. Since then, the prospect of a Python 4 release has been a hot topic in the community.

Last year, Guido van Rossum, the creator of Python, hinted on Twitter that if a Python 4 ever appears, the transition from 3 to 4 would feel more like the jump from 1 to 2 rather than the shift from 2 to 3.

In a recent Microsoft Reactor interview, Van Rossum stated that a Python 4.0 is unlikely. He explained that neither he nor the core development team have concrete ideas for Python 4, and they may continue numbering releases up to 3.33 before considering a major version change.

He added that a future Python 4 could become necessary only if there were a major incompatibility with C extensions or if the Global Interpreter Lock (GIL) were removed, forcing a substantial language overhaul.

Van Rossum emphasized that the focus remains on incremental updates: after Python 3.10 comes 3.11, then 3.12, and so on. The team aims to double CPython’s performance by the 3.11 release, building on speed improvements already seen in 3.10 and planned for 3.12‑3.13.

To accelerate performance, the core team highlighted external projects like Pyston, which offers a 30 % speed boost over CPython 3.8.8.

Van Rossum also shared his admiration for other languages: he appreciates Rust’s improvements over C++, finds Go the most interesting among languages comparable to Python, and notes that Python has been adding optional static typing (gradual typing) inspired by TypeScript.

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