Was C++ created to slow down programming so jobs lasted long enough for coders to make a living?

One of the intriguing legends about programming is that C++ is unnecessarily complex by design, to make sure that only trained programmers could accomplish anything with it, and that jobs would last long enough for a coder to support a family.

It's not true, of course, but it's still a fun story. The always wonderful Snopes has an excellent debunking today, complete with the made-up "secret interview" in which Bjarne Stroustrup confessed to the deed, saying "anyone with half a brain can see that object-oriented programming is counter-intuitive, illogical and inefficient."

It's pretty funny, even if some of the jokes are over my head. Check it out here.