I don't think it is an overstatement to say that that imaginary world C++ would have been deprecated by Rust.
C++ complexity is also its strength. Highly backward compatible, even with C, and multiparadigm. It has classes, but you don't have to use them, it has exceptions, but you don't have to use them, it has templates, lambdas, smart pointers,... and again, you don't have to use them, but they are here if you need them. Even the "deprecated" features of C++ (like most things related to raw pointers) are heavily used today, even in new projects, because they are useful.
Strip 90% of "deprecated" C++ and what you get is essentially Rust, but worse because it still has its C baggage without the advantage of being mostly compatible with C.
How much of that can be attributed to it not having as much time to attract cruft? See Haskell, a very minimal and carefully designed language with a heap of complex and contrary extensions.
C++ complexity is also its strength. Highly backward compatible, even with C, and multiparadigm. It has classes, but you don't have to use them, it has exceptions, but you don't have to use them, it has templates, lambdas, smart pointers,... and again, you don't have to use them, but they are here if you need them. Even the "deprecated" features of C++ (like most things related to raw pointers) are heavily used today, even in new projects, because they are useful.
Strip 90% of "deprecated" C++ and what you get is essentially Rust, but worse because it still has its C baggage without the advantage of being mostly compatible with C.