The only way to get anywhere is provide a path forward. I have a lot of C++98 code that has been working just find for 14+years (that is since before C++11). It isn't worth changing that unless we discover a bug in the code (after 14+ years unlikely) or we need to add new features (if we haven't in 14+ years we probably won't need a new feature there anytime soon). Code I write today is the latest C++. What I really want is a way to say don't write the bad things today, but still allow that old code to work. That is what profiles promises to me. Sure we will never to get full memory safety that way, but that isn't my goal, I just want to make my new code better, and when I come back to old code improve that too.

The case for "100% Safe C++" is that you might be able to annotate that old C++98 code in ways that don't otherwise alter its semantics, but still ensure safety. That would be a one-time cost that might be well-worth paying if the cost is low enough - Where "cost" depends on developer experience as opposed to mere volume of annotations. A "viral" compiler feature that auto-surfaces all the places that will need annotation for a given level of safety has the potential to be quite easy to learn and use effectively. It's not clear why the C++ folks are rejecting that approach, seemingly out-of-hand.