why do top programmers prefer C/C++ over Python?

Answer 1

[edited] Maybe real programmers don't value their personal time as much as they value machine time? Personal time can be leveraged to patch things and impress, but the less impressive detail work (machine performance) keeps the business chugging with the competition.

I think the hybrid point is useful to elaborate on: Python gives you rapid protyping / deliverables / startup-style pivoting for impressing investors and customers with your amazing turnaround time. C/C++ gives you slower deliverables but better performance. See how this is working here? Impress, get customers + funding, then you can pay for all the time to make something fast and they like you even more. In my estimation this is one way to bootstrap a business *.

Compare Google early on: "Python where we can, C++ where we must". They used C++ for low latency / memory control and Python for rapid delivery.
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/2560310/heavy-usage-of-python-at-google/#2561008

* It also leverages a little psychological quirk where you make something that kindof works and people like it, but then you make it better and they like it WAY MORE than if you'd just done it perfectly to begin with.

Answer 2

Mainly because c/c++ were famus long before python and so most seasoned programmers are much more comfortable with them.
however python is becoming more and more popular these days and most of even professional programmers in C are learning and using it.
note:these two languages might have different filed of usage but I don't think that's the issue.

Answer 3

Simple answer speed especially for competition.

Python for less and simple code i prefer.

Answer 4

They don't more power over C/C++ for python is a scripting language & C is a programming language python also has an import for C stuff don't know much I don't use python

Answer 5

C++ best of the best