You can't only look at it from the perspective of a software engineer. Ordinary people can read and write Python much more easily than a ton of other languages. It's very easy to get started, with basically no ceremony. Highly tolerant of user errors yet still allows one to grow with the language (nobody writes ABCs on their first day).
Python has issues, but those issues don't matter equally to everyone and every use case. Low barrier to entry, coupled with Metcalfe's law, explains a lot IMO.
I love Scheme, but not everybody does, and I can see why.
> You can't only look at it from the perspective of a software engineer.
This is absolutely true.
OTOH, the "No true Scotsman" attitude that some display, that no real programmer would deliberately use Python, always says a lot about the one displaying the attitude.
Python has issues, but those issues don't matter equally to everyone and every use case. Low barrier to entry, coupled with Metcalfe's law, explains a lot IMO.
I love Scheme, but not everybody does, and I can see why.