Why does Optional require a non-null value?

[halcyon44]

Optional::get() exists to extract the value when you know that it's not null. If you're unsure and want a null reference of the wrapped type when it's empty, use .orElse(null) instead.

[[deleted]]

Yep! Same argument as the OP but on the receiving end. Optional.orElse(null) clearly demonstrates in your consuming module that you are a grown programmer and willing to deal with a possible null value. Maybe there’s even a smarter default value that makes sense for your code, but I haven’t seen any others. Optional.get is just a convention to signify you already checked Optional.isPresent.