When a senior Microsoft engineer floated the idea of wiping out C and C++ from the company’s codebase by 2030, the remark ricocheted across developer circles as a death notice for two of computing’s foundational languages. Within days, the same engineer was clarifying that the goal was more nuanced, tied to research projects and security ambitions rather than a single, monolithic rewrite of Windows. I want to unpack what was actually said, what Microsoft is really planning, and what it means for anyone who still lives and breathes pointers and header files.
The short version is that Microsoft is pushing hard toward Rust and AI-assisted migration for safety-critical components, while simultaneously insisting that Windows is not about to be torn down and rebuilt from scratch. The “C/C++ gone by 2030” chatter captures a real strategic shift, but it also overshoots the practical reality of how a company with billions of lines of legacy code can evolve.
How one job post ignited “C/C++ is dead” headlines
The spark for the current debate was a job listing from Microsoft’s CoreAI group that described an ambitious effort to move existing low level systems away from C and C++. In that posting, Microsoft Distinguished Engineer Galen Hunt talked about a goal to eliminate every line of C and C++ from Microsoft by 2030, language that was quickly interpreted as a corporate decree that the company would abandon those languages entirely. The phrasing sounded absolute, and in an industry that has relied on C since the 1970s, it landed like a provocation rather than a routine hiring pitch.
Once that line circulated, it was picked up and amplified as a plan to replace all C and C++ code with Rust, complete with a 2030 deadline and an AI powered migration pipeline. Reports highlighted that Microsoft plans to eliminate all C and C++ code across major codebases and move it to Rust, with Hunt describing AI as central to translating and refactoring those systems. That framing set the tone for the “C/C++ gone by 2030” narrative, even before Microsoft had a chance to explain how aspirational and research driven the language really was.
What Galen Hunt actually meant by “eliminate every line”
Once the headlines hardened around the idea that C and C++ were being banned inside Microsoft, Galen Hunt moved to clarify what he had intended to convey. As a Microsoft Distinguished Engineer, he stressed that the work he described was part of a research effort, not a signed off corporate mandate to rip out every C and C++ subsystem on a fixed schedule. In follow up comments, he explained that the focus was on building tools that can automatically translate and refactor codebases, using AI and algorithm driven techniques to make such a transition even plausible at Microsoft’s scale.
Hunt’s clarification made it clear that the 2030 horizon was a target for what those tools might achieve, not a guarantee that every last pointer in the company would be gone by that date. He described how the project aims to develop AI systems that can understand and migrate complex C and C++ code, and that the goal is to reduce the amount of unsafe code rather than to promise a literal zero. One detailed account of his comments noted that Galen Hunt, a distinguished engineer at Microsoft, explicitly framed the effort as building AI assisted translation and migration, not promising a total rewrite of Windows within the decade.
Microsoft’s Rust 2030 push and why memory safety is the driver
Behind the rhetoric, there is a concrete strategic shift: Microsoft wants far more of its low level code to be memory safe, and Rust is the language it has chosen to get there. The company has already been rewriting some components in Rust, and the 2030 target is about accelerating that trend so that new and migrated code avoids entire classes of vulnerabilities that plague C and C++. Internal planning documents and external commentary describe a Rust 2030 Plan that treats memory safety as a security imperative rather than a stylistic preference.
One analysis of that Rust 2030 Plan described how Microsoft is using AI driven engineering to “kill” C++ in sensitive areas, with a timeline that runs through the end of the decade and a focus on ensuring that even the Windows kernel can be modernized without catastrophic regressions. That account noted that Microsoft’s Rust 2030 Plan: Killing C++ with AI Driven Engineering is explicitly tied to building confidence that core systems can be migrated safely. Another report on the company’s infrastructure strategy underscored the Urgency for memory safe code, explaining that Microsoft wants to remove all C and C++ from critical components and replace it with Rust where feasible.
AI as the migration engine, not a magic rewrite button
The other pillar of the 2030 narrative is Microsoft’s bet that AI can shoulder much of the grunt work involved in moving from C and C++ to Rust. The job listing that started this conversation was for the Future of Scalable Software Engineering team, which sits inside Microsoft’s CoreAI group and is tasked with building machine learning tools for AI assisted translation and migration. The idea is that AI models can learn patterns in legacy code, propose Rust equivalents, and help engineers refactor at a scale that would be impossible by hand.
That is a far cry from pressing a button and watching Windows recompile itself in a new language. The company’s own description of the role makes it clear that the successful candidate will join the Future of Scalable Software Engineering team to build learning tools, not to lead a one shot rewrite. Another report on Microsoft’s security ambitions noted that the company plans to rewrite about 1 billion lines of C and C++ code using AI and algorithm based approaches, describing how Microsoft plans to rewrite about 1 billion lines to improve security by 2030. That scale is enormous, but it still represents a subset of the total codebase, and it assumes a tight partnership between human engineers and AI tools rather than full automation.
Windows, kernels, and what is not being rewritten
Much of the anxiety around the “C/C++ gone by 2030” chatter centers on Windows, which has decades of C and C++ baked into its kernel and user space components. Reports on Microsoft’s internal language mix point out that C is deeply embedded in the Windows kernel and that C++ underpins large swaths of the user interface and application frameworks. Any suggestion that those layers would be ripped out wholesale in a few years understandably raised eyebrows among developers who maintain drivers, system utilities, and enterprise applications that depend on stable Windows behavior.
Microsoft has tried to tamp down the more extreme interpretations by explicitly denying that it is rewriting Windows 11 from scratch in Rust. One account of the company’s response noted that NextFin News, On December, Microsoft issued a formal denial that it was undertaking an AI driven Windows 11 rewrite, even as it confirmed that Hunt was leading research into AI assisted migration. Another report on Microsoft’s internal language strategy explained that the two languages currently play a major role in Microsoft’s products, especially in Windows, and that the company is working to slash their use by 2030 rather than promising an overnight replacement.
From viral quote to corporate clarification
Once the initial job post and Hunt’s quote went viral, Microsoft found itself in the familiar position of having to clarify that an engineer’s aspirational language did not equal a binding corporate roadmap. The company’s communications teams emphasized that there was no plan to rewrite Windows in Rust, and that the work described was part of a research project aimed at exploring AI assisted migration. That distinction between a research project and a formal plan became central to how the story evolved over the following days.
One detailed breakdown of the episode explained that speculation arose after a Microsoft engineer’s comments were interpreted as a pledge to eliminate C and C++ languages by 2030, and that the engineer later stressed it was a Project, not plan. Another report on the corporate response noted that the reason for the rumors was that Microsoft’s distinguished engineer Galen Hunt mentioned his goal in a job posting, and that Microsoft officially issued a statement to clarify that there was no immediate plan to rewrite Windows.
What “eliminate C/C++ from Microsoft” really looks like in practice
Even after the clarifications, Microsoft has not backed away from the ambition to drastically reduce its reliance on C and C++ over the next five years. The company’s security teams have been blunt about the fact that a large share of its vulnerabilities trace back to memory safety issues, and that moving to Rust is one of the most effective ways to cut that risk. In that context, Hunt’s goal to eliminate every line of C and C++ from Microsoft by 2030 reads less like a literal countdown and more like a rallying cry to push teams toward safer defaults.Several reports converge on the idea that Microsoft wants to remove all C and C++ from new development and from the most exposed parts of its stack, while using AI and human review to migrate existing code where the risk and cost justify it. One infrastructure focused analysis stated that Microsoft sets 2030 target to replace C and C++ code with Rust, highlighting that the company is prioritizing components where memory safety delivers the biggest security payoff. Another account of the internal push noted that Microsoft plans to eliminate C and C++ code in favor of Rust by 2030 as part of a broader move toward memory safe programming, building on earlier efforts to rewrite parts of its code in safer languages.
Inside the Windows and Rust conversation
Windows itself sits at the center of this conversation because it is both Microsoft’s flagship product and one of the largest C and C++ codebases on the planet. Reports on the internal language mix emphasize that C is deeply embedded in the Windows kernel, while C++ powers everything from the shell to graphics subsystems. That reality makes any talk of eliminating C and C++ from Microsoft inseparable from questions about how Windows will evolve, and how much of it can realistically be migrated to Rust without breaking compatibility for hardware vendors and software developers.
Some coverage of the internal debate has focused on how Microsoft will use AI to gradually modernize Windows rather than attempting a single, risky rewrite. One detailed account of the company’s modernization plans quoted Hunt saying “My goal is to eliminate every line of C and C++ from Microsoft by 2030” and described how Microsoft will soon have millions of lines of Windows and C++ systems to Rust. The same report explained that the company is betting on AI to finally modernize Windows, using automated tools to translate and refactor code while engineers validate behavior.
How the engineer’s clarification reshaped expectations
After the initial wave of coverage, the way Hunt and Microsoft framed the project shifted the conversation from “C and C++ are banned” to “unsafe code is on notice.” Hunt’s follow up statements stressed that he was talking about a research project and a personal goal, not a signed off edict that every team must comply with by 2030. That nuance matters for developers inside and outside Microsoft who need to plan careers, architectures, and investments around realistic timelines rather than viral quotes.
One widely cited clarification explained that a Microsoft engineer has clarified that his comments about eliminating C and C++ were not meant to suggest that Windows is being rewritten overnight, and that many had interpreted his initial announcement too literally. Another version of the same clarification highlighted that a Microsoft engineer clarifies post on eliminating C and C++ languages and reiterated that Windows is not being discarded. Those clarifications did not walk back the security and modernization goals, but they did reset expectations about how fast and how completely the shift will happen.
What this means for C, C++, Rust and developers by 2030
Looking ahead to 2030, I see Microsoft’s stance as a strong signal rather than a final verdict on C and C++ as languages. Inside the company, new systems level projects are likely to default to Rust where possible, and teams maintaining critical C and C++ components will face increasing pressure to adopt memory safe patterns or migrate. Outside Microsoft, the message is that vendors who integrate deeply with Windows should be prepared for a world where Rust is a first class citizen in drivers, tools, and performance sensitive libraries, even if C and C++ remain supported for a long time.
For developers, the practical takeaway is to treat Rust and AI assisted tooling as part of the core skill set for systems programming over the next decade, without assuming that C and C++ expertise will suddenly become obsolete. Hunt’s own words, captured in reports that quote him saying “My goal is to eliminate every line of C and C++ from Microsoft by 2030,” underline the ambition, while the same coverage notes that Microsoft Distinguished Engineer Galen Hunt wants teams to use Rust instead where it makes sense. The company’s broader messaging, including its repeated denials that it is rewriting Windows in one dramatic sweep, suggests that C and C++ will still be part of the landscape in 2030, but increasingly surrounded by guardrails, tooling, and Rust based replacements in the places where safety matters most.
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