Python's GIL removal is a poison pill and benefits Mojo (www.theserverside.com)

Python stewards have accepted PEP 703 and started a multi‑year effort to remove CPython’s Global Interpreter Lock (GIL), reopening a long‑running debate: while eliminating the GIL would allow true multi‑core threading, the change breaks the core assumption of safe, single‑threaded execution that virtually all Python code and C/C++ extension libraries rely on. The article argues this will force massive retesting and rewrites, create parallel codebases during transition (echoing the Python 2→3 pain), and ripple beyond CPython to every native library that expects single‑threaded invocation—an especially serious headache for the AI/ML ecosystem, where Python mainly orchestrates native compute kernels. The piece frames Mojo as the natural escape route: a new language that runs Python code, compiles faster, and targets the full AI stack (CPU, CUDA GPU, C/C++ interop), with many ML projects already ported. If GIL removal induces long, costly migration and maintenance burdens, Mojo could become the de‑facto runtime for greenfield AI/ML work and for teams seeking a faster, thread‑safe alternative. The core warning is stark: removing the GIL might modernize concurrency but risks fragmenting and hollowing out Python’s ecosystem unless the community is prepared for widespread compatibility and tooling costs.