Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
cppcon.org
---
Making C++ Safe, Healthy, and Efficient - John Lakos - CppCon 2025
---
The world runs on C++. For more than two decades, C++ has served as the workhorse of high-performance, low-power, and low-latency software across industries. Its raw speed and unconstrained flexibility have made C++ the go-to language for and backbone of large-scale software development. Recently, however, software engineering priorities have shifted significantly toward safety. While C++ enables the creation of secure and correct programs, its traditional focus has favored performance over safety guarantees. As the software landscape evolves, C++ faces a crucial inflection point. To maintain its unparalleled stature, C++ must embrace various safety mechanisms along with safety-by-default principles to support a broader developer ecosystem while preserving the performance capabilities that experts will continue to demand. This talk will examine C++'s evolution toward safety-first development, analyzing functional, language, memory, lifetime, and data-race safety considerations. We survey existing safety techniques, identify current limitations, and explore potential solutions for remaining security challenges. Finally, we present a comprehensive roadmap for achieving robust safety guarantees in C++26 and beyond, while continuing to enable all the language’s performance advantages.
---
Slides: github.com/CppCon/CppCon2025/blob/main/Presentations/What_C++_Needs_To_Be_Safe.pptx
Work at Hudson River Trading (HRT): tinyurl.com/safxfctf
---
John Lakos
John Lakos, author of Large-Scale C++ Software Design [Addison-Wesley, 1996], serves at Bloomberg LP in New York City as a senior architect and mentor for C++ software development worldwide. He is also an active voting member of the C++ Standards Committee’s Evolution Working Group. Previously, Dr. Lakos directed the design and development of infrastructure libraries for proprietary analytic financial applications at Bear Stearns. For 12 years prior, Dr. Lakos developed large frameworks and advanced ICCAD applications at Mentor Graphics, for which he holds multiple software patents. His academic credentials include a Ph.D. in Computer Science ('97) and an Sc.D. in Electrical Engineering ('89) from Columbia University. Dr. Lakos received his undergraduate degrees from MIT in Mathematics ('82) and Computer Science ('81). He is the author of Large-Scale C++ — Volume I: Process and Architecture [Addison-Wesley, 2020], the first book in a three-part series, and a coauthor of Embracing Modern C++ Safely [Addison-Wesley, 2021] with Vittorio Romeo along with Rostislav Khlebnikov and Alisdair Meredith.
---
CppCon is the annual, week-long face-to-face gathering for the entire C++ community. The conference is organized by the C++ community for the community. You will enjoy inspirational talks and a friendly atmosphere designed to help attendees learn from each other, meet interesting people, and generally have a stimulating experience. Taking place this year in Aurora, Colorado, near the Denver airport, and including multiple diverse tracks, the conference will appeal to anyone from C++ novices to experts.
Annual CppCon Conference - cppcon.org
linkedin.com/company/cppcon
https://x.com/cppcon
facebook.com/CppConference
reddit.com/r/cppcon
https://mastodon.social/@CppCon
---
Videos Filmed & Edited by Bash Films: BashFilms.com
YouTube Channel Managed by Digital Medium Ltd: events.digital-medium.co.uk
---
#cpp #cplusplus #cppcon #cppprogramming #cplusplusprogramming #softwaredevelopment #softwareengineering #coding #code #computerscience #technology #technews #programming #programmer
cppcon.org
---
Making C++ Safe, Healthy, and Efficient - John Lakos - CppCon 2025
---
The world runs on C++. For more than two decades, C++ has served as the workhorse of high-performance, low-power, and low-latency software across industries. Its raw speed and unconstrained flexibility have made C++ the go-to language for and backbone of large-scale software development. Recently, however, software engineering priorities have shifted significantly toward safety. While C++ enables the creation of secure and correct programs, its traditional focus has favored performance over safety guarantees. As the software landscape evolves, C++ faces a crucial inflection point. To maintain its unparalleled stature, C++ must embrace various safety mechanisms along with safety-by-default principles to support a broader developer ecosystem while preserving the performance capabilities that experts will continue to demand. This talk will examine C++'s evolution toward safety-first development, analyzing functional, language, memory, lifetime, and data-race safety considerations. We survey existing safety techniques, identify current limitations, and explore potential solutions for remaining security challenges. Finally, we present a comprehensive roadmap for achieving robust safety guarantees in C++26 and beyond, while continuing to enable all the language’s performance advantages.
---
Slides: github.com/CppCon/CppCon2025/blob/main/Presentations/What_C++_Needs_To_Be_Safe.pptx
Work at Hudson River Trading (HRT): tinyurl.com/safxfctf
---
John Lakos
John Lakos, author of Large-Scale C++ Software Design [Addison-Wesley, 1996], serves at Bloomberg LP in New York City as a senior architect and mentor for C++ software development worldwide. He is also an active voting member of the C++ Standards Committee’s Evolution Working Group. Previously, Dr. Lakos directed the design and development of infrastructure libraries for proprietary analytic financial applications at Bear Stearns. For 12 years prior, Dr. Lakos developed large frameworks and advanced ICCAD applications at Mentor Graphics, for which he holds multiple software patents. His academic credentials include a Ph.D. in Computer Science ('97) and an Sc.D. in Electrical Engineering ('89) from Columbia University. Dr. Lakos received his undergraduate degrees from MIT in Mathematics ('82) and Computer Science ('81). He is the author of Large-Scale C++ — Volume I: Process and Architecture [Addison-Wesley, 2020], the first book in a three-part series, and a coauthor of Embracing Modern C++ Safely [Addison-Wesley, 2021] with Vittorio Romeo along with Rostislav Khlebnikov and Alisdair Meredith.
---
CppCon is the annual, week-long face-to-face gathering for the entire C++ community. The conference is organized by the C++ community for the community. You will enjoy inspirational talks and a friendly atmosphere designed to help attendees learn from each other, meet interesting people, and generally have a stimulating experience. Taking place this year in Aurora, Colorado, near the Denver airport, and including multiple diverse tracks, the conference will appeal to anyone from C++ novices to experts.
Annual CppCon Conference - cppcon.org
linkedin.com/company/cppcon
https://x.com/cppcon
facebook.com/CppConference
reddit.com/r/cppcon
https://mastodon.social/@CppCon
---
Videos Filmed & Edited by Bash Films: BashFilms.com
YouTube Channel Managed by Digital Medium Ltd: events.digital-medium.co.uk
---
#cpp #cplusplus #cppcon #cppprogramming #cplusplusprogramming #softwaredevelopment #softwareengineering #coding #code #computerscience #technology #technews #programming #programmer
