Bernard & Bernard is an umbrella company that runs over 12,000 organizations. Initially they started as an insurance company insuring and providing security for goods deliveries. In the first 50 years since their founding they got into investment banking and acquired over 300 businesses, and in 150 years since their founding they are now over 12,000 organizations. They operate in nearly every field, but specialize in logistics, electronics, manufacturing, data analysis, security and defense contracting, pharmaceuticals and many more.
Name change
As B&B grew eventually they began taking over more and more small companies and organizations. This led some to draw similarities between them and the fictional story The org. As the recession hit in Shekland anti-corporate sentiment grew rapidly. In the story people call the company “the org” because it’s faceless, and every business underneath them is just part of a broader whole. B&B being notorious for taking over many businesses during the recission and forcing them to restructure to their needs just strengthened the connection to the name.
Eventually B&B decided to try to “reclaim” the name, and began using it in official marketing materials. Because Shekland is a centre of arts and culture they largely tuned their advertising of this rebranding as a celebration of the arts. This campaign was incredibly popular publicly, and seen as a form of self-deprecating humor. Upon hearing of this change Tahren Aeilzenia (the author of The org) commented “Sometimes art imitates life, and life imitates art. I don’t know how them being this transparently awful is playing well with people, but somehow it is. Maybe we deserve our situation…“. Tahren would go on to win royalties from B&B for use of the name.