C targets the CPU directly: there's no interpreter sitting in memory ready to read source. The compiler must do all the translation work ahead of time so the OS can hand the binary straight to the CPU. Python ships with an interpreter that reads source at run time and executes it instruction-by-instruction. The C model is faster and more predictable at run time but slower to iterate on; the Python model is the reverse. Embedded systems use C because microcontrollers don't have room (or time) for an interpreter.
Programming Fundamentals · Interview question
Why does C need a compile step when Python doesn't?
A strong answer
What a weak answer sounds like
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From the lesson
What Is a Program?
A program is text on disk until you compile it. Walk through the source → compile → run loop you'll repeat thousands of times.