● Covered by 2 sources · 2 reportsMedium impact2 neutral
Home Assistant renames 'Cloud' service to 'Link' to distance from 'Big Tech' connotations
Key points
- Home Assistant Cloud is now Home Assistant Link.
- The change distances the service from negative "cloud" connotations.
- Nabu Casa manages Home Assistant Link and funds the Open Home Foundation.
- The rebranding supports Home Assistant's goal to reach a mainstream audience.
- Founder Paulus Schoutsen cited "Big tech ruined the cloud" as a reason.
Rebranding for a New Identity
The open-source smart home platform Home Assistant has rebranded its Home Assistant Cloud service to Home Assistant Link. This change was announced by founder Paulus Schoutsen, who stated, "Big tech ruined the cloud, so we're out."
Nabu Casa, which manages Home Assistant Link and is a commercial partner of the Open Home Foundation, explained that the new name more accurately describes the service's function as an optional link for remote access. The company aims to redefine online services as private, optional, and free from lock-in.
Motivation Behind the Change
The decision to drop "cloud" from the name stems from negative associations with the term, including increasing subscription prices, outages, and data harvesting. Home Assistant seeks to distance itself from these perceptions.
According to Carl, Vice President of Commercial at Nabu Casa, the previous name never fully fit the service's values, and "Link" better reflects its purpose.
Broader Strategic Goals
This rebranding is part of a long-term strategy to make Home Assistant a mainstream smart home platform. Schoutsen noted that many users discover Home Assistant after encountering limitations with mainstream options like Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and Apple Home.
The platform, while powerful, has a steep learning curve, which the team is working to address. Future plans include simplifying the platform, introducing a new user-friendly hub, and integrating AI agents to appeal to a wider audience.
Nabu Casa's Role
Nabu Casa was founded in 2018 to support the development of Home Assistant, which began as a project by core developers working in their spare time. The company's role includes managing Home Assistant Link and providing funding for the Open Home Foundation's work, ensuring the sustainability of the open-source project.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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Primary sources
GitHub coogie/oscailteHow outlets covered it
Nabu Casa has renamed its Home Assistant Cloud service to Home Assistant Link. This change aims to better reflect the service's function as an optional link for remote access and to distance itself from negative connotations associated with "cloud" services.
Home Assistant is renaming its Home Assistant Cloud service to Home Assistant Link, citing a desire to distance itself from the term "cloud" due to negative associations with big tech. This change is part of a broader strategy to simplify the platform, introduce a new user-friendly hub, and integrate AI agents to attract a mainstream audience.