People generally do interviews in Python if given the choice. Coding in Python being quicker is well known in the community.
For why Python is more productive:
Dictionaries (maps), sets, (generic) lists, tuples are first class citizens of the language with simple syntax.
Typing is dynamic, which means generics, abstract base classes, interfaces and tons of typical boilerplate code, which you would use in Java, are simply speaking omitted entirely.
Extensive library, which is easy to access by pip.
It would be very weird indeed for a developer not to be more productive in Python than say Java.
It should be fairly obvious why the hundreds of Google engineers were run into the ground by a small team of Python developers.
Nothing you mention is unique to Python. C# (for example) has all of that. And no there is no agreement in “the community”. Just look at the very long dynamic vs. static typing discussions we have all the time on HN.
And if you think that typing a few fewer characters will make you more productive then we clearly don’t agree on what it means to be productive. Programming is not about typing fast :)
And pick any two random developers using the same programming language and you will probably find that they vary dramatically in productivity.
And please don’t worship Google developers like they are made of magic fairy dust. I have worked with people who ended up joining Google and they were OK but not great developers.
For why Python is more productive:
Dictionaries (maps), sets, (generic) lists, tuples are first class citizens of the language with simple syntax.
Typing is dynamic, which means generics, abstract base classes, interfaces and tons of typical boilerplate code, which you would use in Java, are simply speaking omitted entirely.
Extensive library, which is easy to access by pip.
It would be very weird indeed for a developer not to be more productive in Python than say Java.
It should be fairly obvious why the hundreds of Google engineers were run into the ground by a small team of Python developers.