What happened to the pirates?

Are bounties gone? Pirates don't seem to act at all like in Rebellion, and just seem to be an irrelevant minor faction in all games I've played so far. But the dev log seemed to suggest they should still be working as in Rebellion?

https://www.sinsofasolarempire2.com/article/520967/the-pirates-planets-and-plunder-update-sins-of-a-solar-empire-ii