Your intuition is correct. Practical electric lights, in the form of arc lamps, existed before Edison was even born and were successfully commercialized many

Your intuition is correct. Practical electric lights, in the form of arc lamps, existed before Edison was even born and were successfully commercialized many years before the incandescent light bulb. Effective incandescent light bulbs were also around before Edison's. The main things Edison's team brought to the table were a better filament material, a better vacuum in the bulb, and supporting electrical infrastructure (generators, etc.)