PYCON UK 2025: How to be a Python Icon, writing Pythonic Code, Jesse Carnaxide

What makes code Pythonic? In this talk, we’ll explore how clear, concise, and maintainable code embodies Pythonic principles. With simple, real-world examples, you’ll learn to spot common patterns and refactor them the Pythonic way — leaving with practical tips you can start applying to your code right away. Over the past 10 years as a software engineer, I’ve spent a lot of time trying to decipher other people’s code. Sometimes it feels like reading a foreign language; other times, it’s surprisingly clear and easy to follow. Those moments taught me something important — the kind of developer I want to be, and the kind of code I want to leave behind (because not all legacy code is bad!) Throughout that journey, one word kept popping up: Pythonic. At first, it felt vague and a bit mysterious. But over time, as I wrote more code and reviewed even more, its meaning started to click. I began to see how Python’s unique strengths — simplicity, elegance, and expressiveness — can be harnessed to write code that’s not just functional, but also joyful to read and maintain. Eventually, I realized how much I enjoy sharing this knowledge. What started in code reviews turned into a bigger idea: what if we taught these patterns before someone writes the code? And that’s how this talk came to be. In this session, I’ll walk through some common Python coding patterns and demonstrate how they can be improved using more Pythonic alternatives. We’ll cover topics like looping, key lookups, truthiness, list construction, and resource management — all through clear examples that are easy to follow regardless of your experience level. If you're still figuring out what Pythonic means, or want to make your code clearer, more concise, and more maintainable, this talk is for you. And if you already know these patterns, you might leave with a fresh way to teach them to others. Jesse Carnaxide is a full-stack developer with more than ten years of experience. He holds a BEng and MEng in computer engineering from SUNY Binghamton and works as a Senior Software Engineer at Bloomberg in New York City. He has contributed across Bloomberg’s technology stack and is currently part of the Enterprise Portfolio Management Engineering team. Jesse leads Bloomberg’s Python Guild, an internal community focused on training and skill development. He is passionate about teaching and mentoring, and values Python’s readability for its impact on maintainability, accessibility, and fostering a strong developer community.