Why is it not a great replacement for Java? My experience have been opposite, C++ still have its place, but Go has taken over where previously maybe Java would be reached.
Well of course everything you said is kinda true. Go is not going replace Java in one-to-one replacement type projects. It is going to be in a way like Cloud vendors have creamed traditional IT/outsourcing vendors or IPhones crushed blackberry.
At some point existing Java systems will stop delivering value compared to their maintenance cost in lot of situations. This is where Go as replacement will come in handy.