The kinds of things you need C++ for - high-performance webservers, database engines, 3D renderers, etc. - often require very close communication between team members to get right. They're deep, not broad - the software is structured as a series of layers, and if you don't get the interfaces between the layers just right, the software won't even compile. Typical webapps are much more horizontal - they consist of a series of screens, and once the basic webserver framework is in place, developers can pretty much parcel out portions of the UI and work on them independently.
In my experience it's the opposite. The C++ savant can write the high performance webserver from his basement in Estonia, but you need the webdevs around so they can collaborate with the design team, ops, and product management. When it's deep, work units can be split into days or weeks, which lends itself pretty well to disconnected, remote work. When it's broad, you need to constantly keep everyone on the same page, which equals daily stand-ups, 24x7 chatrooms and other agile forms of humiliation.
In domains with real time performance constraints it's difficult to use anything but C or C++. Many of those domains are at the forefront of current technological development, so I wouldn't lump C++ in with COBOL just yet.
