Why Rust Can't Replace C++
C++ is just better than Rust.*
Check out Macroscope: https://jetty.to/macroscope
*at some things.
I know I've made a few videos about Rust replacing other languages - simply because I find these sorts of things fascinating, like rewriting an entire codebase. And I typically have a section in those videos stating while Rust is great in many use cases, it isn't a magic bullet.
So I figured it was time to make a dedicated video on that notion, specifically surrounding C++, because I've found that most people consider Rust to just be a better C++ all around, more so than any other language. This idea, however, translates to plenty of other languages. Rust is good, but it isn't always the best choice. I hope y'all enjoy!!
Sources:
DARPA TRACTOR (C to Rust): https://www.darpa.mil/research/programs/translating-all-c-to-rust
CISA Product Security Bad Practices: https://www.cisa.gov/resources-tools/resources/product-security-bad-practices
Secure by Design, memory safety (Google): https://security.googleblog.com/2024/03/secure-by-design-googles-perspective-on.html
Why C++ Wins in Finance, Juan Alday (Citadel Securities): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InLxLEqg_fs
Spread Networks (Wikipedia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spread_Networks
How to spend $300M on 3 milliseconds (Jim Campbell): https://jimdcampbell.com/2016/09/01/a-short-story-about-how-to-spend-300m
Zig 0.15.1 release notes: https://ziglang.org/download/0.15.1/release-notes.html
Zig 0.16.0 release notes: https://ziglang.org/download/0.16.0/release-notes.html
rustc codegen, LLVM backend (Rust Compiler Dev Guide): https://rustc-dev-guide.rust-lang.org/backend/codegen.html
Rust atomics (std docs): https://doc.rust-lang.org/std/sync/atomic/index.html
Too Many Linked Lists: https://rust-unofficial.github.io/too-many-lists/
Rust linked list patch, Alice Ryhl (Rust-for-Linux): https://lkml.rescloud.iu.edu/2404.0/01480.html
allocator_api tracking issue, open since 2016: https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/issues/32838
Hazard pointers, C++26 (P2530): https://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg21/docs/papers/2023/p2530r3.pdf
RCU, C++26 (P2545): https://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg21/docs/papers/2023/p2545r4.pdf
C++26 (cppreference): https://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/26
CUDA Programming Guide, C/C++ Language Extensions (NVIDIA): https://docs.nvidia.com/cuda/cuda-programming-guide/05-appendices/cpp-language-extensions.html
cuBLAS: https://docs.nvidia.com/cuda/cublas/
cuDNN: https://docs.nvidia.com/deeplearning/cudnn/
TensorRT: https://docs.nvidia.com/deeplearning/tensorrt/
PyTorch ATen (C++ core): https://github.com/pytorch/pytorch/tree/main/aten
Rust-CUDA: https://github.com/Rust-GPU/Rust-CUDA
cuTile Rust paper (NVIDIA Research): https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.15991
Unity and .NET (Unity blog): https://unity.com/blog/engine-platform/unity-and-net-whats-next
C++ in Unreal Engine (Epic): https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/unreal-engine/programming-with-cplusplus-in-unreal-engine
Embark Studios Rust pledge: https://www.embark.dev/
Embark builds ARC Raiders on Unreal (Epic interview): https://www.unrealengine.com/developer-interviews/embark-studios-build-the-award-winning-arc-raiders-with-unreal-engine
Gameplay at Embark, careers page: https://careers.embark-studios.com/pages/gameplay-at-embark
Leaving Rust gamedev (LogLog Games): https://loglog.games/blog/leaving-rust-gamedev/
rust-gpu (started at Embark): https://github.com/Rust-GPU/rust-gpu
Safe C++, P3390 (Sean Baxter): https://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg21/docs/papers/2024/p3390r0.html
Circle C++ compiler: https://www.circle-lang.org/
Profiles, P3081: https://wg21.link/p3081
Committee picks profiles over Safe C++ (The Register): https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/16/safe_c_proposal_ditched/
Trip report, profiles targeting C++29 (Herb Sutter): https://herbsutter.com/2026/03/
C++ growth vs Rust, SlashData numbers (Herb Sutter): https://herbsutter.com/2025/12/30/software-taketh-away-faster-than-hardware-giveth-why-c-programmers-keep-growing-fast-despite-competition-safety-and-ai/
Why Fighter Jets Ban 90% of C++ Features (LaurieWired): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gv4sDL9Ljww
A portion of this video was sponsored by Macroscope.
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ForrestKnight
I document and share my experiences on topics including computer science & software engineering. I'm a full-time Software Engineer and a part-time YouTuber. My less nerdy activities include fishing, hunting, surfing, and snowboarding. I'm just here to hav...