In this article we will discuss:
- Why did Luminati Networks rebrand in the first place?
- What does Bright Data stand for, and is it a new entity?
- What Bright Data hopes to achieve going forward
Why did Luminati Networks rebrand in the first place?
When the company was first established back in 2014, the goal was (and still remains) to provide web transparency, and equal access to open-source, web-based information. Shedding light on the ‘dark corners’ of the web, and being a ‘luminary’, a natural light-giving body like a sun or a moon. Eventually leading the founders to the name ‘Luminati’.
But what they learned during the following years was that ‘Luminati’ had pre-existing negative associations that would prove hard to shake off from a reputational standpoint. For some people, Luminati evoked clandestine ‘Illuminati’ brotherhood associations. Something that stood for the exact opposite of what the company was trying to accomplish (e.g. secrecy, and access to information reserved for the elites).
To reiterate this is the OPPOSITE of what Luminati is/was trying to achieve:
- Transparency
- A belief that web-based information is like water, a natural resource that belongs and is accessible to everyone
- Promoting equality, free trade, and accountability
What does Bright Data stand for, and is it a new entity?
Here is where ‘Bright Data’ enters the picture. Many people are wondering if this rebranding is indicative of a pivot in terms of our values, technology, or services. I am here to assert exactly the opposite. By calling ourselves Bright Data we are bringing ourselves closer to the values and technologies that have been part and parcel of our DNA from the get-go. This is part and parcel of the natural evolution of our company, distancing ourselves from unrelated, negative associations. Ultimately this rebrand is helping us show up to the business community, and the world at large, in a more authentic, representative way.
It is also important to understand that this rebranding will not harm our customers in any way – prices are not going up as a result, and services will remain operational using the most sophisticated unblocking technology, and data collection mechanisms. The new name can actually help companies who previously felt uncomfortable telling investors and customers that they were using ‘Luminati’ (due to false-negative associations), can now pridefully display their partnership with us on investor relations quarterly reports, and client-facing websites. The new name also reflects on the market leadership the company has achieved over the years and is now an integral part of the new brand. This includes a customer base of 10,000+ businesses, many of which are large enterprises and Fortune 500 companies.
What Bright Data hopes to achieve going forward
Although we have not changed at our core and essence, we still have big plans going forward. These include:
- Leading the web data collection world – Pioneering industry practices such as real-time compliance, real-time data collection, and ready-to-use qualified datasets.
- Being harbingers of technological innovation – Bright Data introduced data methodology (peer-to-peer network) data collection to the business community and continues to innovate in terms of the unblocking solutions it provides as well as making data collection accessible to all with its fully autonomous Web Scraper API.
- Encouraging data-centric research, and being a bellwether of social change – The Bright Initiative is the spearhead, and a separate device through which we actualize this commitment. We have partnered with over 150 NGOs, and leading universities who can now use our web data platforms to analyze pandemics, perform social behavioral patterns, and improve the lives of underdeveloped countries.
The bottom line
Luminati has not disappeared but has morphed into a better version of itself, much in the same way that caterpillars evolve into butterflies. Our rebranding is merely enabling us to spread our wings, showing our true colors, helping data reverberate from the most obscure corners of the internet, empowering little rays of sun to trickle through the cracks, shining a bright light in places that have a positive impact on society at large, the economy and the day-to-day lives of each and every one of us.
