Scala 3 kept implicit around and I am of two minds

Kotlin made the same bargain with Java, and the bill arrives as platform types. A String coming back from a Java method shows up as String! in error messages, which is the compiler's polite way of saying it has no idea. Treat it as non-null and the check moves to run time. If you're lucky that's a tidy NullPointerException right at the assignment, if you aren't it's three calls later. Annotate the Java side for nullability and Kotlin believes you. Which is fair. Still two mental models, but at least the compiler admits there are two.

Keeping the old form compiling is fine, but a newcomer should meet the strict rules first. Visual Basic shows what the other order costs. Option Strict is still Off by default, so a newcomer's first project allows late binding and implicit narrowing conversions without asking. That default exists so old code keeps compiling. It also means the beginner meets the loose rules first and the strict ones only if someone mentions them. I'd rather the template said Option Strict On at the top, in plain sight, so the choice is something a new reader can see and question.