Guido van Rossum

About

Guido van Rossum is a renowned Dutch computer programmer, best known for creating the Python programming language. Born on January 31, 1956, in The Hague, Netherlands, he earned a master's degree in mathematics and computer science from the University of Amsterdam in 1982. Van Rossum's career spans various research institutes, including the Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI) and the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). He worked at Google from 2005 to 2012 and later at Dropbox from 2013 to 2019. Van Rossum's contributions to Python are pivotal. First released in 1991, Python is an open-source, high-level language used in diverse fields like machine learning, scientific computing, and web development. Van Rossum was known as the "Benevolent Dictator for Life" until he stepped down in 2018. He received the Award for the Advancement of Free Software in 2001 and was recognized as a Distinguished Engineer by the ACM in 2006. Currently, he works at Microsoft as a Distinguished Engineer. His legacy in programming continues to influence the tech industry globally.