The father of Python-killer Mojo, Chris Lattner is celebrated for his significant contributions to programming languages and compiler infrastructure. There’s a clear message on Modular’s website: It focuses on AI because, as Lattner puts it, “that’s where most of the suffering is”. Lattner knows the struggles of programmers firsthand. “It bothers me,” he shares, showing a real understanding of the field.
Before launching Mojo through Modular, Lattner had contributed to open-source projects like the LLVM Compiler Infrastructure, Clang, and Swift, a programming language used in many Apple products. At Tesla, he served as the vice president of Autopilot software, and at Google, he co-founded the MLIR compiler infrastructure.
Lattner began learning about computers and programming as a kid. Now, at 45, he’s spent decades creating tools to help other programmers build things.