Java is the backbone of so many enterprise apps out there. It’s got a lot of momentum. While I prefer the syntax of other languages I could easily see my knowledge of Java/spring being a value add the rest of my career

Java is great. It doesn't duck the hard problems the way many other programming languages do. If you want to use threads it "just works". It's incorporated many of the best features of ML family programming languages and after working with Scala, Kotlin and other alternatives I love creating DSLs in Java.

My humble prediction is that with introduction of ahead-of-time compilation and JVM snapshots the adoption of Java based microservices will increase. These upcoming Java features open new interesting doors.

  > Why is Java so popular even in 2023?

Is it, though? Are there projects created in Java (out of Android, and enterprise sw with Java7)? The last big Java project I heard about was MineCraft, though I must admit that I stopped following the Java world 6 or so years ago. But I would still expect at least some buzz to get to my ear, if it is that much popular.

Or maybe I'm completely out of touch. That's always a very probable possibility.