Optimizing Python for Speed and Compatibility

Show notes:

In the penultimate episode of season one, host Peter Wang and Carl Meyer, Software Engineer at Instagram (owned by Meta), discuss considerations around making Python faster while maximizing compatibility and performance.

Several years ago, Carl and his team started working on a project called Cinder in an effort to improve CPU efficiency across Meta’s servers by “[optimizing] things at the level of Python runtime.” While initially meant to serve as a stop gap, Cinder yielded impressive wins that transformed it into a premier and ongoing project at Instagram.

In addition to Cinder, Peter and Carl discuss:

• Carl’s experiences with various programming languages like TI-Basic, Perl, and PHP
• Challenges around innovating on an established language with 30+ years of history
• The potential evolution of Python use cases and best practices
• And more!

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