Skip to content

About me

Hello! I’m Richard. I typically go by ichard26 (or some variation) on the internet.

I am a software engineer, who likes to write command line tooling that makes developers' lives easier and less frustrating. I have extensive experience in the Python open-source software ecosystem, in particular by stewarding foundational tooling that enables software to be built effectively.

I am a core maintainer for the pip package installer. Before that, I was a maintainer of the uncompromising Python code autoformatter, black.

While I do most of my work in Python, I dabble in C and front-end web development occasionally.

When I’m not doing development work, I enjoy cycling, swimming, and volunteering in my local community (specifically not in software!).

Open Source Software (OSS)

While I work on personal projects occasionally, I primarily volunteer my time and experience to the open source ecosystem. I’m proud to have contributed to the following projects:

pip, since 2024
“pip installs packages” - The de facto official Python package installer.
active maintainer
mypyc, 2023 to 2025
A transcompiler of Python modules to C extensions built on top of mypy. It uses standard Python type hints and mypy’s type checking and type inference features to generate fast code.
former triager
diff-shades, since 2021
A development tool used to gauge the impact of code style changes in black across OSS code. Inspired by mypy-primer which was itself inspired by black-primer.
creator
Next PR Number, since 2020
A simple web utility to query the number the next PR would have for a public Github repository.
creator
bandersnatch, 2021 to 2022
A simple mirror tool generating a PEP 503 compliant index ready to be served on your static web server of choice.
former maintainer
black, 2020 to 2023
Black is the most popular Python autoformatter; known for its uncompromising code style.
former maintainer

Community involvement

Beyond code projects, I wear a few more hats:

Python Packaging Authority (PyPA), since 2021
A group of developers that collectively maintain tooling that serves foundational digital infrastructure for the Python packaging ecosystem.
member
Python Discord, since 2021
The largest Discord community focused around the Python programming language.
staff, former moderator

Contact information

I used to not have a public email address, but now I do! Please send random flower facts and other inquries to sichard26 (at) gmail.com.

Alternatively, you can reach me by DMing me on Discord (@ichard26). You can find me in the Python Discord and PyPA servers.