Brilliant (website)

Last updated

Brilliant
Brilliant Wordmark.png
Type of site
 Online education
Available inEnglish
Founder(s) Sue Khim
URL brilliant.org
CommercialYes
Users Increase2.svg 10 million (2025) [1] [2]
Launched2012;13 years ago (2012)
Current statusActive

Brilliant.org is an American for-profit company and associated community that features 90+ guided courses in three categories: maths, computer science and science. [2] It operates via a freemium business model. [3] Brilliant was founded in 2012. [3] At the Launch Festival in March 2013, CEO and co-founder Sue Khim presented the idea of Brilliant, attracting funding from venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya. [3] [4] In August 2013, TechCrunch reported that Brilliant.org had secured funding from Palihapitiya's Social+Capital Partnership, as well as from 500 Startups, Kapor Capital, Learn Capital, and Hyde Park Angels. The website boasted over 100,000 users at that time. By April 2019, it had achieved a valuation of $50 million.

Contents

Originally, Brilliant hosted a variety of individual puzzles and occasionally monthly challenges. At one point, the individual puzzles included their Problem of the Week, a selection of the 15 best puzzles for the week. [1] By 2025, the focus of the site was on active learning in STEM fields, as opposed to rote learning, and it does not support learning certifications. [2] Further, the platform does not support any individual mentorship, though "courses are curated by industry experts". [2]

As of 2025, the monthly cost was US$24.99 or US$299.88 per annum. [2]

Reception

Several publications have noted Brilliant for its success in identifying gifted students. Commonly cited examples include Farrell Wu from the Philippines, [4] [5] Dylan Toh of Singapore, [5] [6] and Phoebe Cai of the United States. [5] [6]

Brilliant regularly contributes math and science puzzles to publications such as The New York Times , The Guardian , and FiveThirtyEight . [7] [8] [9] [1] [10] Brilliant has also been cited by The Atlantic as a catalyst of the "math revolution" - a surge in the number of American teens excelling at math. [11]

In 2013, Brilliant co-founder and CEO Sue Khim was listed among the Forbes 30 under 30 for the Education category for her work on Brilliant. [12]

Two employees of Brilliant, Carrie McLaughlin and Kristian Takvam, were among the victims of the 2019 MV Conception fire. [13]

Acquisition

In December 2022, Brilliant acquired Hellosaurus, a software and entertainment company that distributes interactive programming for kids from various children's creators like The Wiggles, and Kids Diana. CEO Sue Khim said the acquisition will help Brilliant accelerate its mission towards active learning. [14]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Bellos, Alex (March 13, 2017). "Can you solve it? Pi Day puzzles that will leave you pie-eyed". The Guardian . Archived from the original on July 17, 2017. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Winograd, George (August 22, 2025). "Brilliant.org Review 2025 – Is It Worth The Time & Price". Mission: Graduate!. New Mexico, United States. Archived from the original on August 29, 2025. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 Kurwa, Nishat (July 23, 2013). "Giving Brightest Kids The 'Cram School' Experience, Online". NPR . Retrieved September 28, 2014.
  4. 1 2 Rao, Leena (August 11, 2013). "Backed By Social+Capital, Brilliant.org Is Finding And Challenging The Brightest, Technical Talent In The World". TechCrunch . Retrieved September 28, 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 Carlson, Nicholas (April 30, 2013). "The 10 Smartest Kids In The World (And The Crazy Math Problems They Can Solve)" . Business Insider . Archived from the original on November 28, 2013. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
    Full text available via Archived version.
  6. 1 2 Antoniades, Andri (May 7, 2013). "How to Graduate From a Failing School System and Still Be Brilliant. A 26-year-old entrepreneur ensures gifted students worldwide receive the kind of education they need" . TakePart. Archived from the original on April 5, 2015. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
    Full text available via Archived URL.
  7. ↑ Antonick, Gary (December 21, 2015). "Reason to Celebrate with Puzzles from Brilliant.org and Iwahiro". The New York Times . Archived from the original on September 13, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  8. ↑ Antonick, Gary (March 14, 2016). "Reasonable-Seeming but WRONG Approximations of π". The New York Times . Archived from the original on September 13, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  9. ↑ Puglise, Nicole (November 2, 2016). "From The Dress to the 'extinction effect': the internet obsession with brain teasers". The Guardian . Archived from the original on May 1, 2017. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  10. ↑ Roeder, Oliver (October 28, 2016). "Rig The Election ... With Math!". FiveThirtyEight . Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  11. ↑ Tyre, Peg (March 2016). "The Math Revolution" . The Atlantic . Archived from the original on July 14, 2017. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
    Full text available via Archive URL.
  12. ↑ "Sue Khim, 26, Cofounder and CEO, Brilliant". 30 Under 30: Education. Forbes . Archived from the original on December 31, 2012. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Newly hired scientist for California among boat fire victims". MPR News . Minnesota, United States. Associated Press. September 5, 2019. Archived from the original on September 26, 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  14. ↑ Ruben, James (December 6, 2022). "Brilliant Acquires Leading Interactive Video Platform Hellosaurus" (Press release). PRWeb. Archived from the original on November 26, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
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