Anders Hejlsberg (born 1960) is a Danish software engineer who has created multiple influential programming languages and tools. His work spans from Turbo Pascal in the 1980s to TypeScript today, consistently advancing how developers write code.
Turbo Pascal at Borland
In 1983, Hejlsberg created Turbo Pascal at Borland. His innovative IDE combined a fast compiler with an integrated editor and debugger, all for $49.95. It democratized programming and established the IDE paradigm.
Delphi
After Turbo Pascal, Hejlsberg led development of Delphi, an object-oriented environment for Windows development. Delphi pioneered visual programming and rapid application development, influencing Visual Basic and later frameworks.
Moving to Microsoft
Microsoft recruited Hejlsberg in 1996, reportedly paying a significant sum to acquire his expertise. At Microsoft, he became a Technical Fellow and led language development.
Creating C#
Hejlsberg led the design of C# as part of the .NET initiative. Drawing on his Pascal and Delphi experience, he created a modern language that combined C++‘s power with productivity features. C# has evolved to become a sophisticated, multi-paradigm language.
TypeScript
In 2012, Hejlsberg began work on TypeScript to address JavaScript’s limitations in large applications. TypeScript adds optional static typing while compiling to standard JavaScript. It has become essential for large-scale web development.