He also seems completely uninterested in finding that, "elegant language struggling to get out." He just asserts that it's there, as if its mere existence is a virtue.

I think Herb Sutter is at least trying to find that elegant language, with his "syntax v2" project. It's one way to preserve compatibility with the incalculable amount of C++ in the wild, while also providing a simplified syntax with better defaults and fewer foot-guns.

Of course, Herb isn't immune to making hand-wavy claims[0] of his own, but he seems to bring forward more good ideas than bad.

[0] https://herbsutter.com/2025/03/30/crate-training-tiamat-un-c...