The prevalence of a given language in job ads seems to be a good signal, at least for job seekers.<p>I don't have hard numbers, but my impression from HN Who's Hiring posts is that Rust is gaining popularity and C++ is receding.
Independent of fads, I remember a bottom-feeder tech recruiter dismissing another language, Go, as a "nothingburger" in 2012. Hubris is on them, as with any arrogant proclamation steeped in ignorance. The people closest to niche but useful tools are the best to see their trajectory, regardless of media characterization of hype or apparent obscurity. Around 2016 I exited the Go scene for Rust because it became crowded with noisy, low-skilled, needy users who were leading to time suck without contributing much in return.
It’s not used in industry. C++ still dominates everything rust claims to be good at, turns out people with money on the line will not use a language that simultaneously takes away power from the programmer while also being more difficult to write.