CppCon 2026 puts three language designers on one stage
CppCon has announced something it has never done in its history: a keynote panel. The 2026 edition (September 12-18 in Aurora, Colorado) will put three language designers on one stage at the same time.
Who is on it
- Bjarne Stroustrup, creator of C++
- Guido van Rossum, creator of Python
- Mads Torgersen, lead designer of C#
That is three of the most widely deployed programming languages in the world, represented by the people who shaped them, in one conversation. CppCon keynotes are usually a single voice; a panel of this composition is a deliberate departure.
Why it is interesting right now
The timing is not accidental. Every one of these languages is wrestling with the same pressures from different starting points: memory safety and the security conversation that has put C and C++ under a regulatory microscope; the role of AI and LLMs in how code gets written; and how a mature language keeps evolving without breaking the billions of lines already in production. C++ is mid-debate on safety profiles and contracts. Python has spent years on typing and the GIL. C# has pushed nullable reference types and source generators into the mainstream.
Hearing the three designers compare how they make those trade-offs, what they envy about each other’s languages, and where they think the next decade goes, is the kind of cross-pollination the C++ community rarely gets in one room. If you go to one keynote at CppCon 2026, this is a strong candidate.
Details: CppCon 2026, September 12-18, Gaylord Rockies, Aurora, CO. Announcement via isocpp.org.