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Just the other week I was having a conversation with a local government agency about their choice to use Python and Django to build a new application. They were receiving some criticism over their choice, including arguments that Python is not used in business critical systems and that the local Python community is not disciplined enough to support such an application.

I thought these myths should be dispelled, being that I'm the CTO and co-founder of an enterprise web development company in Indiana that relies on Python.

Who uses Python in Indianapolis?

Locally, Six Feet Up has been running the IndyPy Meetup (350+ members) since 2007 and I have gotten a chance to meet just a fraction of the developers in the area. Six Feet Up works with many large organizations to implement solutions using Python.

Locally, many companies are using Python in various capacities from data analysis to a core part of their technology stack. A few include:

• CourseLoad
• Direct Employer’s
• Angie’s List
• Eli Lilly
• SmartFile
• Gannett
• Six Feet Up
• IUPUI
• Harrison College

Who uses Python Nationally?

Many large enterprises rely on Python for mission critical applications as evidenced by who sponsors PyCon, the largest annual Python developer event:

• Google
• Microsoft
• eBay
• Survey Monkey
• NewCars.com
• Eventbrite
• Dow Jones
• Disney

These are all large companies that are putting their businesses on Python and in many cases it is their primary platform (many with Django as well). Bank of America also is known for using Python in their critical applications.

The SEC is focusing on using Python for a proposed waterfall securities tracking application, and organizations like Bloomberg support Python (PDF) as an ideal language for the application. Other government agencies that rely on Python include the FBI, CIA and DoD.

The demand for Python developers is on the rise compared to other popular languages.

Why use Python?

There are many reasons Python is a great choice. Python is robust, fast, and flexible. It beats PHP in many ways. This can always be argued, but you can read my post from a year ago on Why We Choose Python to get our take.

Finding Talent

Finding Python developers is difficult to do in almost any region of the country due to the popularity of the language and demand for developers in general. Six Feet Up has the same problem finding talent. To help increase the number of Python developers in Indy we started IndyPy, a monthly Meetup. We are considering starting a line of training courses to produce more Python talent locally. Indianapolis needs more developers to feed our booming tech industry.

Conclusion

Python is alive and growing in Indianapolis, and across the U.S. It's trusted by major organizations to run mission critical applications and has some unique advantages over other languages. As always, depending on the skills of your team, and the requirements for your project, a different language may work just fine. But as for us, we'll be using Python for our enterprise clients for years to come.

I'd love to hear from other companies in Indianapolis or the U.S. that use Python and why.