Short answer: No.
Smart answer: Not yet… and not entirely.
Why Rust is a competition for C:
<ul>
<li>No manual memory management</li>
<li>No buffer overflows, no shooting yourself in the foot with pointers.</li>
</ul>
But it’s harder to learn; the ownership model throws people off, especially beginners.
So why isn’t Rust everywhere?
Because the world runs on C, literally.
Every OS, every embedded device, and every low-level system relies on C.
There’s no time, money, or motivation to rewrite decades of stable code.
Even the Linux kernel, Rust is only a drop in that ocean.
Is the industry switching towards using Rust?
Indeed, new projects are shifting towards Rust.
Big players are experimenting.
And if companies like Microsoft or Meta go all in, expect Rust to stick around.
So, yeah, keep an eye out for the Big Tech giants about how they are embracing Rust. It will have a significant impact on how the rest of the industry takes it.
So, what should you learn?
C teaches you how machines really work.
Rust teaches you how to avoid breaking them.
If you want to build for the future, know both.
And the reason most people find Rust “hard to learn” is because
They don’t have a good background in C or any lower-level language
So, that clears 1 thing that Rust should never be your first programming language
Will C die?
C won’t die, but it will age just like languages like COBOL did.
Rust won’t kill C, but it might inherit the throne.
And if you’re smart, you’ll keep your eyes on both.

Knowledge by Execution - Breaking Down Tech for the Mango Man (Aam Aadmi/Regular Person) - https://www.sknexus.org/

SK NEXUS

Rust is unlikely to completely replace C in the near future due to C's deep entrenchment in operating systems, embedded devices, and low-level systems. While Rust offers memory safety advantages and is gaining adoption in new projects by major tech companies, the vast existing C codebase and lack of motivation to rewrite stable systems means C will persist. Rust may eventually inherit C's role in systems programming, but both languages will coexist, with C remaining relevant for understanding machine fundamentals and Rust providing safer alternatives for new development.

Will Rust replace C

At this point I think Rust as stopped being a programming language and is now officially a religion…

Here we go again.
Rust is great and there are places where it truly shines and will replace C.
But if something has the remote potential of replacing C out there, it would be something like Odin or Zig as they fit naturally in the same space.

zig is the real successor of C, while rust is of C++

I really used to and still like Rust, all the benefits and tools and everything it provides over C. However, for the last few months I spent time learning about Linux Kernel development and I learned a lot about how it works internally, I learned a lot about not only kernel space but also user space. I am sure it made me a better software engineer in general. And also I learned I focused on wrong things in the past. So I still see a big value in Rust, but I also know there are important things I need to focus as a software engineer Rust won’t solve for me.

these PLs are tools not your life partners…