I may be wrong, but most people that know python have already understood there's better ways to code than spreadsheets. Also, at least where I live, not even Google could undermine Excel's dominance.
PS: I'm convinced I was indeed wrong after reading replies, because I didn't consider the interaction of coders with no coders, and this tool may indeed be useful. Nevertheless I maintain these cultural changes are very hard, and wish the company good luck!
Is the argument here that "if you know how to code, spreadsheets aren't useful to you?"
If so, that's false. Spreadsheets are a fantastic way to present visual data and analysis in a way that's auditable by anyone, regardless of technical competence. They are visual programming!
This also makes them a better way to do lightweight data processing. One of my most common workflows is to dump production data into a CSV so I can analyze it and build charts off it. This is perfect for business-as-usual questions, like basic segmentation analyses. Pivot tables!
A major issue with Google Sheets is that the DSL is terrible. Like, try to do any sort of string manipulation (extract the first two words)[1], and you'll see how bad it is. Adding native python support helps solve this.
I'm just a random HN-er who saw this, but I'm very excited about this product.
I think there's a real use case here if you can convince the people who write python and the people who write excel spreadsheets to work in the same environment. Like other people have mentioned though, it's easier to add python to excel then it is to change everyone's workflow to some totally different thing.
I can't pass something with Python onto my team. I have to work within the constraints of Excel. My team sees the value of Python but none of them want to learn it, and none will maintain it after I go. They do however know spreadsheets (even complicated ones) so those I can.
EDIT: Sorry I see you changed your mind - so what I wrote maybe wasn't necessary but I'll leave it here. To be clear I wish my team would learn Python, but most of them get promoted and richer without learning it.
PS: I'm convinced I was indeed wrong after reading replies, because I didn't consider the interaction of coders with no coders, and this tool may indeed be useful. Nevertheless I maintain these cultural changes are very hard, and wish the company good luck!