# Interest in programming languages hit a decade low after Claude Code launch > Source: > Published: 2026-09-17 13:53:31+00:00 ### Rust leads, but has had higher peaks Rust ends at 0.9%, versus Python’s 0.4% and JavaScript’s 0.2%. Its highest three-month share in this window was 1.4%, ending March 2021. After Claude Code’s launch, the share of Hacker News upvotes going to titles naming programming languages fell to its lowest level since 2016. AI-related titles gained ground. We measure interest through Hacker News upvotes on submissions whose titles mention the relevant words. The chart shows their share of all eligible upvotes, counting each link once per month with no score threshold. AI topics use generic terms; GPT, ChatGPT and other brand and company names are excluded as matching terms. Around ChatGPT’s launch, language titles accounted for 5.9% of upvotes in September–November 2022, versus 1.9% for AI topics. By June–August 2026, those shares were 4.4% and 11.6% respectively. The low point came in February–April 2026, after both Claude Code’s initial release and the December 2025 takeoff reference. The series subsequently recovered somewhat, so the latest reading is above the trough. “Decade low” refers to this 2016-onward window: the earliest months of Hacker News had lower readings. This is attention to *language names in titles*. It does not measure how much people program, which languages they use, or all programming discussion on HN. A falling share can reflect other topics gaining upvotes even without an equivalent drop in language posts. Rust gained ground over the decade; Python and JavaScript now sit well below their earlier levels. Compare their share of upvotes or their share of submissions, with repeated links counted once per month in both views. Looking at upvote shares Zig’s 0.4% share puts it just above Python in the latest three months. This ranks third among the 48 tracked categories, behind Rust and the combined HTML/CSS category. C++ and Go end at 0.3% and 0.3%. Java is down to 0.1%, from 0.3% at the start of 2016. Smaller languages can move sharply on a handful of high-scoring posts. All 48 tracked categories, ordered by their latest three-month upvote share. Each chart shows both upvote share and submission share. Values beside each name cover June–August 2026. All charts use Rust’s 0–1.5% axis. Heights are directly comparable; values are unchanged. Every card covers January 2016–August 2026. Uncheck “Rust for scale” to give each language its own axis, shared by both lines. All axes start at zero. Labels round to one decimal; small nonzero shares that would round to zero are shown as <0.1%. Small individual axes use a power-of-ten multiplier. A title naming several languages contributes to each matching language, so these shares should not be added together. A rich, shortcut friendly Hacker News reader. Try HN Reader Show HN submissions surged after ChatGPT. Successful launches grew much more slowly. Read the story The classic links that people keep submitting and discussing, year after year. Explore the classics The Wikipedia articles people share and discuss on Hacker News. Browse the articles Evergreen talks, documentaries and deep dives shared on Hacker News. Find something to watch How startup domain names changed across two decades of Y Combinator cohorts. Read the story Occasional emails with new data stories and projects from OrangeCrumbs. No fixed schedule. Unsubscribe anytime.