I learned C++ as my first language, but haven’t touched it since really. Since it was my first language, I always liked it. But, watching this video and reflecting on my understanding of other languages, I have to agree. The language is a bloated and inconsistent mess. The fact that this video is over 2 hours says a lot.
The one thing that was good about learning c++ first was that every other language was extremely easy to pick up. And, to be clear, I learned c++ out of a textbook, which means I learned it pretty thoroughly. I did not need a textbook to learn other languages. They tend to be much more intuitive and simple if you know c++. The exception is JavaScript which is just buggy by nature and really requires knowing the bugs so they don’t bite you.
They didn’t just adopt a fediverse app, they’re building one. They could’ve just built a single reddit-clone that they could rule with an iron fist, but instead they built a federated app, which is equally usable by anyone who doesn’t share their views and actively spreads that content to their instance. Why? As you say, it doesn’t seem to be for spreading the good word.