I am also a very avid C++ avoider but if I am in a meeting with this author and they tell me we need to use C++ for something, I'll take it.

Because I trust pain more than smarts. And I do agree that we are coming to a point there will be a better compiled language. Rust actually broke the untouchable status of C/C++. In my opinion the final popularity blow will come from something else. I wish I knew what it was.