While I agree Rust has a steeper learning curve with its lifetime and borrow checker. Why do you surmise that Rust is too syntax heavy? The BNF of Rust doesn't

While I agree Rust has a steeper learning curve with its lifetime and borrow checker. Why do you surmise that Rust is too syntax heavy? The BNF of Rust doesn't seem anymore complicated than most of the popular languages. The current trend of Rust seems to to suggest the opposite as well, with more large adopters.