The 'Dead' Programming Language That Runs The World

The 'Dead' Programming Language That Runs The World

Ask a developer what they code in, and they’ll say Python, JavaScript, or Rust. Ask a bank what they run on, and the answer is likely COBOL.

Created in 1959, COBOL (Common Business Oriented Language) is ancient. It’s verbose, clunky, and has no cool frameworks. Yet, it handles:

  • 95% of ATM swipes.
  • 80% of in-person credit card transactions.
  • $3 trillion in daily commerce.

Why Won’t It Die?

Risk. Rewriting millions of lines of mission-critical banking code is a nightmare scenario. One bug could erase billions of dollars or corrupt checking accounts nationwide. It’s safer to pay $200,000 salaries to the few remaining gray-bearded COBOL wizards than to risk a rewrite.

So, while the world hypes AI and Web3, the silent, uncool grandfather of languages is still keeping the lights on.