Anthropic invests $1.5M in the Python Software Foundation • Hacker News Board

Re: Anthropic invests $1.5M in the Python Software Foundation

#141

Post by upboundspiral » Tue, Jan 13, 2026, 7:34 PM UTC

embedding-shape wrote: post #83

mixmastamyk wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Poor management has played a role. They refused to invest in packaging to the extent that a separate company (astral) had to do it for them. Bugs closed for years with the excuse “we’re only volunteers.” Meanwhile, “outreach” was funded for several million a year. Not confidence inspiring. Maybe would have improved if the funds had been spent more appropriately. Similar story with Mozilla.

I don't know much about the Linux Foundation if I'm being honest, even though I've been a 24/7 Linux user for decades, but they seemingly don't have the same image in the ecosystem, at least not close to how people see Mozilla today. Why is that? Is there lessons to be learned from the Linux Foundation how to actually effectively and responsibly manage that sort of money, in those types of projects?

The Linux foundation is not a nonprofit. It is registered as a 501c6, basically a business consortium, unlike the Python software foundation which is a nonprofit (501c3).

The Linux foundation also stewards way more foundations and projects that just "Linux". They are, among other things, in the business of creating foundations and making money that way. For every organization under the Linux foundation, say the CNCF, to be a part of those subprojects, you need to pay a Linux foundation tax.

The Python Software foundation I don't know much about but their scope seems to be only stewarding python. They seem to have far less corporate outreach then the Linux foundation.

Linux Foundation 990 - note page 16-17 with the salaries - there are for profit entity salaries, not nonprofit salaries.

https://apps.irs.gov/pub/epostcard/cor/460503801_201812_990O...

Re: Anthropic invests $1.5M in the Python Software Foundation

#142

Post by 1970-01-01 » Tue, Jan 13, 2026, 7:35 PM UTC

qaq wrote: post #47

Still crazy how little investment goes to Python given how critical it is to the ecosystem.

As far as I'm aware, Python was only recently (2020s) taught in most schools, so that's the reason it wasn't and isn't well funded. Schools will stick with legacy languages far beyond their market lifetimes, as that is what the instructors know best. So it's not that it isn't well funded, it's that it's still early in terms of global popularity. As we just witnessed, the funding is just now coming in big drops.

Re: Anthropic invests $1.5M in the Python Software Foundation

#143

Post by pathetic123123 » Tue, Jan 13, 2026, 7:35 PM UTC

mcintyre1994 wrote: post #58

ssutch3 wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, and at least the strings they attached are productive palatable unlike some other organizations: https://pyfound.blogspot.com/2025/10/NSF-funding-statement.h...

That link shows the significance of this Anthropic donation too: > $1.5 million over two years would have been quite a lot of money for us, and easily the largest grant we’d ever received.

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Re: Anthropic invests $1.5M in the Python Software Foundation

#144

Post by globular-toast » Tue, Jan 13, 2026, 7:38 PM UTC

"Over two years". Does that mean the foundation has to do what they want it to do or else the tap stops?

Re: Anthropic invests $1.5M in the Python Software Foundation

#145

Post by jborean93 » Tue, Jan 13, 2026, 7:48 PM UTC

mixmastamyk wrote: post #63

qaq wrote: post #47

Still crazy how little investment goes to Python given how critical it is to the ecosystem.

Poor management has played a role. They refused to invest in packaging to the extent that a separate company (astral) had to do it for them. Bugs closed for years with the excuse “we’re only volunteers.” Meanwhile, “outreach” was funded for several million a year. Not confidence inspiring. Maybe would have improved if the funds had been spent more appropriately. Similar story with Mozilla.

> They refused to invest in packaging to the extent that a separate company (astral) had to do it for them

uv didn't just happen in a vacuum, there has been lots of investment in the Python packaging ecosystem that has enabled it (and other tools) to try and improve the shortcomings of Python and packaging.

There's PEP 518 [1] for build requirements, PEP 600 [2] for manylinux wheels, PEP 621 [3] for pyproject.toml, PEP 656 [4] for musl wheels platform identifiers, PEP 723 [5] for inline script metadata.

Without all this uv wouldn't be a thing and we would be stuck with pip and setuptools or a bunch of more bandaid hacks on top making the whole thing brittle.

[1] https://peps.python.org/pep-0518/ [2] https://peps.python.org/pep-0600/ [3] https://peps.python.org/pep-0621/ [4] https://peps.python.org/pep-0654/ [5] https://peps.python.org/pep-0723/

Re: Anthropic invests $1.5M in the Python Software Foundation

#146

Post by german_dong » Tue, Jan 13, 2026, 7:49 PM UTC

hamandcheese wrote: post #48

I must be the only one in here who thinks $1.5M is a small sum compared to Anthropic's size and the amount of value they have gotten out of Python. Good press is cheaper than I thought.

I mean, it's 1.5M more than the foundation knows what to do with.

Re: Anthropic invests $1.5M in the Python Software Foundation

#147

Post by oceansky » Tue, Jan 13, 2026, 7:55 PM UTC

hdjdndndba wrote: post #5

This makes sense given how much of the current AI ecosystem is built on top of Python. I hope this helps the foundation improve security for everyone who relies on these libraries.

Very good for my career too as someone with plenty python experience

Re: Anthropic invests $1.5M in the Python Software Foundation

#148

Post by DaSHacka » Tue, Jan 13, 2026, 8:02 PM UTC

nedbat wrote: post #70

guywithahat wrote: post #54

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Just to clarify: the NSF grant was refused because it required the PSF to abandon all DEI efforts, not just that the grant itself couldn't be used for DEI. Accepting the NSF grant would have required the PSF to forgo one of its core principles. It was the right decision, not bad management.

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Re: Anthropic invests $1.5M in the Python Software Foundation

#149

Post by DaSHacka » Tue, Jan 13, 2026, 8:06 PM UTC

nedbat wrote: post #110

guywithahat wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean there were conversations in closed rooms nobody outside of the room knows about. What we know publicly is they refused the funding because it required them to drop DEI activities, which not only would have solved their funding issues but was the morally correct thing to do. The PSF should be focused on improving Python, it shouldn't be a political organization.

OK, thanks for making your position clear. You disagree with some of the core mission of the PSF. Luckily you are in the minority and the PSF is carrying on.

Is he in the minority though? Remind me again who won the popular vote two years ago.

Turns out many people aren't big on racial discrimination "but hip and cool B-) this time". When the core principle of an organization is at conflict with the concept of hiring any ethnicity with no specific preference, you have a racist organization.

Re: Anthropic invests $1.5M in the Python Software Foundation

#150

Post by skeledrew » Tue, Jan 13, 2026, 8:10 PM UTC

johnisgood wrote: post #136

red2awn wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They are heavily focused on code. Claude Code likely generates 100 of millions lines of Python a day, make the language a little bit better with $1.5M is extremely high leverage.

Care to elaborate on how $1.5M makes Python better?

The donation is earmarked for security concerns, ie. improving PyPI from a security perspective to prevent/mitigate supply chain attacks, etc. This means a more healthy Python ecosystem, which also benefits their products which are utilizing said ecosystem likely more than any other.