Will Python 4 be released before 2030?

Question

Background

Python's creator Guido van Rossum and the Python Steering Council have explicitly stated there are no plans to release Python 4. After the challenging transition from Python 2 to Python 3, which took many years and caused significant compatibility issues, the development team has decided to continue improving Python through the 3.x versioning scheme rather than creating a new major version.

Resolution Criteria

This market will resolve YES if Python 4.0 (or any 4.x version) is officially released by the Python Software Foundation before January 1, 2030. The market will resolve NO if:

Python 4 is not released by January 1, 2030

Python development continues under the 3.x versioning scheme through 2030

Considerations

Major version changes in programming languages are typically driven by breaking changes that require backward incompatibility

The Python development team is currently focused on improving Python 3 through incremental updates, including significant features like the nogil project

Any future breaking changes are likely to be implemented within the Python 3.x versioning scheme rather than warranting a new major version

Manifold Markets · Answer

Unlikely — Manifold Markets prediction market estimates a 10% chance (18 traders, as of Aug 9, 2026).