Same theoretical capability; inferior performance and safety in general. Its versatility in the stack is, in my mind, its defining characteristic - unlike C++, it's a great scripting language that's easy to get started with- maybe the best. Like C++, it's a capable low-level, close-to-the-metal language. But I doubt it's the best choice for those cases. (We know what Linus said about C++ devs working on the kernel ... what would he say about python devs??)

Side bar, I wasn't aware it was a popular educational tool. I was taught type strong languages, and coming into Python felt like writing pseudocode. Too easy, as the Aussies would say!