I don't agree with that either, even in the languages I am well versed in not having to guess intentions or deduce variables is much easier. I think the tradeoff is really just keystrokes and laziness.
Even if I'm wrong, how often is it an expert, that is not yourself, left to maintain your old code?
I disagree, as someone with low experience with python, I found their example much more understandable than both of your examples.