Hanselminutes with Scott Hanselman C++ is Still Here, Still Powerful with Gabriel Dos Reis
Nov 20, 2025
Dr. Gabriel Dos Reis, a Principal SDE at Microsoft and C++ expert, dives into why C++ remains relevant in a tech landscape dominated by newer languages. He discusses the language's evolution, highlighting its powerful features and performance in areas like AI and browsers. Gabriel explains C++'s backward compatibility, how it mirrors human languages, and addresses modern challenges like tooling gaps. He also shares insights on teaching robust coding practices and emphasizes the importance of learning multiple programming languages to enhance engineering skills.
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How Fixing GCC Led To The Standards Committee
- Gabriel Dos Reis accidentally joined the ISO C++ Standards Committee after trying to fix compiler bugs in GCC.
- He started by submitting patches in 1997 and was invited to meetings once maintainers noticed his contributions.
No More Microsoft C++ Dialects
- Since Gabriel joined Microsoft in 2013 there has been no Microsoft-specific C++ dialect on the MSVC team.
- The team prioritized standards conformance and shipped full C++14, C++17, and C++20 support.
Backward Compatibility Is A Feature
- C++ feels old partly because of deliberate backward compatibility that preserved C-era code patterns.
- That stability is a feature: it lets existing business code keep running while new features arrive incrementally.
