It's a demand side issue. Most C++ jobs are maintenance jobs. Most maintenance jobs are at low-growth companies who can't justify the TC of engineers at high-gr

It's a demand side issue. Most C++ jobs are maintenance jobs. Most maintenance jobs are at low-growth companies who can't justify the TC of engineers at high-growth companies to their board. There are pockets of the C++ ecosystem where this isn't true (e.g. HFT). But bottom-line, it's a business thing, not a skills thing. There are also a lot more C++ devs than the zeitgeist would suggest. Far too many to cause a "COBOL effect" where supply constraints on talent dictate market price.