If you've read much about Ethereum (other than the hype) then you would know that they (or let's just say Vitalik) invented a VM somewhat similar to Java.
Such JV's were popular back in the 1990's (when I first worked with one) but actually have not been popular in recent times because they are not efficient (hence the rise of VM Ware that is perhaps confused with the other so not surprisingly most people don't know the difference).
What works most efficiently is virtual CPU's (the reason I designed AT the way that it was designed) and the most interesting discovery that I made recently was this:
http://www.keystone-engine.org/This technology could mean that we could use LLVM (a compiler platform that can do C++ and other high-level languages) to do smart contracts (rather than inventing entire new toolsets and high-level languages like Ethereum are doing).
Yes - people could be writing their smart contracts in C++ or even in BASIC - and it wouldn't require a lot of effort.
If you are seriously interested in the tech then I'd suggest you really look into this stuff rather than drink the "koolaid".