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Jimmy Wales

Chairman, Wikia; Co-Founder, Wikipedia

Jimmy Wales is an American Internet entrepreneur known for his role in the creation of Wikipedia, a free, open-content encyclopedia launched in 2001. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the Wikimedia Foundation, holding the board-appointed "community founder" seat. In 2004, he co-founded Wikia, a privately owned, free Web-hosting service, along with Angela Beesley.

Together with Larry Sanger and others, Wales helped lay the foundation for Wikipedia, which subsequently enjoyed rapid growth and popularity. As Wikipedia expanded and its public profile grew, Wales took on the role of the project's spokesman and promoter through speaking engagements and media appearances. Wales has been historically cited as the co-founder of Wikipedia but he disputes the "co-" designation, asserting that he is the sole founder of Wikipedia. Wales' work developing Wikipedia, which has become the world's largest encyclopedia, prompted Time magazine to name him in its 2006 list of the world's most influential people.

Born in Huntsville, Alabama, Wales attended a small private school, then a university preparation school, eventually attaining a bachelor's degree and master's degree in finance. During his graduate studies he taught at two universities.

Why Jimmy Wales Is Eyeing Mobile Space

Innovation on the mobile platform has been held back by carriers—until now. The new possibilities have the Wikipedia founder excited.

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How has technology changed the way you work and live?

Wales can be so focused on his Sidekick that he bumps into people on the street.

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Jimmy Wales on Intellipedia

Jimmy Wales explains Intellipedia.

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Jimmy Wales on the Power of Collaboration

The massive power of connecting people in the right way.

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As the economy slows, will advertising take a hit?

It will only be a disaster for people on the margins, says Wales.

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Jimmy Wales on the Recession’s Impact on the Web

There’s always a boom-and-bust cycle, says Wales.

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Jimmy Wales on the Microsoft-Google Rivalry

Jimmy Wales on the Microsoft-Google Rivalry.

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Jimmy Wales on a Business Model for Social Networking

Will social networking sites ever find the magic bullet?

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Jimmy Wales on the Semantic Web

For a long time, Wales simply didn’t understand it.

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Jimmy Wales on Jonathan Zittrain: The Future of the Internet

Jonathan Zittrain says the Internet in its current incarnation is unsustainable. Wales doesn’t totally agree.

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Jimmy Wales on Yahoo in China

Yahoo doesn’t own its Chinese subsidiary, says Wales.

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Jimmy Wales on Smart Censorship

Keywords, keywords, keywords.

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Wikipedia versus the Chinese Government

For a while, Wales says, Wikipedia was banned in China.

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Jimmy Wales on the One Laptop Per Child Project

Ultimately, Wales says, that money would be better spent elsewhere.

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Jimmy Wales on Expanding Wikipedia’s Global Reach

Wales addresses the misconception that Wikipedia is only in English.

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Jimmy Wales on the Next Version of Wikia Search

When will the final version be ready?

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Jimmy Wales on Not Paying His Writers

Critics have accused Wales on making a profit off of writers he doesnÃŒt pay. Wales responds.

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What is Wikia Search’s business model?

Wales says he hasn’t thought about that yet.

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Jimmy Wales on Wikia Search’s Community Monitoring

The art of determining what’s relevant, and what’s not.

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Jimmy Wales on Wikia Search

The revolutionary idea of building an open-source software search engine.

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If you had $100 billion to give away, how would you spend it?

Wales would do his best to get a computer into the hands of every man, woman and child on Earth.

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Subsidizing Innovation

Innovation happens when government gets out of the way.

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What should be the big issues of the 2008 presidential election?

Pulling out of Iraq now, Wales says, would be immoral.

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What is America’s greatest challenge?

America has gotten a bad rap recently.

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How do we fight extremism?

The excessively paranoid security at airports doesn’t seem to be doing any good whatsoever, says Wales.

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Freedom and Prosperity

A prosperous society is contingent on respect for individual life.

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What is the measure of a good life?

The measure of a good life is tied up with productivity.

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Is America technologically competitive?

The Internet is still the best jurisdiction for freedom of speech.

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How do we manage intellectual property online?

There are sustainable business models that can be built around freely licensed content, Wales says.

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The Impact of the Internet

As the first world struggles to sift through too much information, the developing world can’t get enough.

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