Python has been continuously becoming the entry point of computer programming. I think the language reached that goal and now people who started with python are contributing in different fields.
Personally I met with python thanks to course assignments. It helped me to finish my projects way faster than any other language. I loved its simplicity and now even in my complex projects, I tend to solve my problems in "python way".
Also modularity, almost non-existent boiler-plate code, etc kind of things attract data scientists without computer science background.