Nullable types provide Optional already. I find the use of a custom wrapper type to be a massive wart, and Optional is a common enough thing that it's worth add

Nullable types provide Optional already. I find the use of a custom wrapper type to be a massive wart, and Optional is a common enough thing that it's worth adding a bit of syntax for it. Which is why I like Kotlin's approach. Same guarantees, one letter instead of ten. If you're writing Java, though, I can see why Optional has some use.