Ansible is written in Python and uses YAML for playbook language, both of which are considered relatively easy to learn. Remember Cisco IOS syntax? That is a domain-specific language that is only applicable when you are managing Cisco IOS devices or other similarly structured equipment; it is not a general purpose language beyond its limited scope. Luckily, unlike some other automation tools, there is no extra domain-specific language or DSL to learn for Ansible because YAML and Python are both widely used as general purpose languages.
As you can see from the previous example, even if you have not seen YAML before, it is easy to accurately guess what the playbook is trying to do. Ansible also uses Jinja2 as a template engine, which is a common tool used by Python web frameworks such as Django and Flask, so the knowledge is transferrable.
I cannot stress enough about the extensibility of Ansible. As illustrated by the example, Ansible starts out with automating servers (primarily Linux) in mind. It then branches out to manage Windows machines with PowerShell. As more and more people in the industry start to adapt Ansible, network became a topic that started to get more attention. The right people and team were hired and adopted at Ansible, network professionals starts to get involved, and customers started to demand vendors for support. Starting from Ansible 2.0; networking has become a first class citizen alongside server management. The ecosystem is alive and well.
Just like the Python community, the Ansible community is friendly and the attitude is inclusive of new member and ideas. I have first hand experience of being a noob and try to make sense of contributions and write modules. I can testify to the fact that I felt welcomed and respected for my opinion at all times.
The simplicity and extensibility really speaks well for future proofing. The technology world is evolving fast, and we are constantly trying to adapt to it. Wouldn't it be great to learn a technology once and continue to use it regardless of the latest trend? Obviously, nobody has a crystal ball to accurately predict the future, but Ansible's track record speaks well for the future environment adaptation.