The answer
It is a historical bug from the original implementation. null was represented with a type tag of 0, which the typeof check interpreted as object. It cannot be fixed without breaking existing code, so it remains.
undefined vs null in JavaScript
Why does typeof null return object in JavaScript?
More FAQs in undefined vs null in JavaScript
undefined is the engine's default for variables and properties with no value. null is a value the developer assigns to intentionally mean 'no value.' typeof undefined is 'undefined'; typeof null is 'object' (a historical bug).
Number(undefined) is NaN, so undefined + 5 is NaN. Number(null) is 0, so null + 5 is 5. This difference is a real source of bugs in arithmetic.
JSON.stringify omits properties with undefined values, but preserves properties with null values as null. This matters for API payloads where the presence of a null key has meaning.
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