Jimmy Wales

Co-founder of Wikipedia (born 1966) · United States · Founders · also United Kingdom

Jimmy Wales is read about 1,700 times a day, in 189 languages.

A typical day, 30 days to 17 October 2026

The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 392 days, one point a day.

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He turned the internet into an encyclopedia that anyone could edit - and somehow it worked. Wales bet that strangers would police each other into building the most-consulted reference work on earth, and Wikipedia now fields half a billion visits a day.

Scientists Business Professional Entrepreneurship Science United States Americas 20th Century

A life in dates

2020“What if we could get everyone in the world together to record what they know in one place?”In their words7 May 2020Quoted by Larry Sanger in "The early history of Wikipedia (part 1) ~(1:49)" (January 2000), YouTube (7 May 2020)Read the whole statement

2017President's MedalAwardPrix GilesAward2015Dan David PrizeAward2013Internet Hall of FameAwardUNESCO Niels Bohr MedalAward2011Gottlieb Duttweiler PrizeAwardLeonardo AwardAward2009Nokia Foundation Recognition AwardAward2008QuadrigaAward2007Young Global LeadersAward2006EFF AwardAward2005“We are growing from a cheerful small town where everyone waves off their front porch to the subway of New York City where everyone rushes by.”In their words7 September 2005As quoted in ExpressIndia (7 September 2005)Read the whole statement

“Most people understand the need for neutrality.”In their wordsJuly 2005"How a ragtag band created Wikipedia" - TED Talk (July 2005); this has sometimes appeared paraphrased as "The real struggle is not betweenRead the whole statement

“Ideally, our rules should be formed in such a fashion that an ordinary helpful kind thoughtful person doesn't really even need to know the rules.”In their words7 April 2005User talk statement (7 April 2005)Read the whole statement

2004“Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge. That's what we're doing.”In their words28 July 2004As quoted in "Wikimedia Founder Jimmy Wales Responds," by Robin "Roblimo" Miller, Slashdot (28 July 2004)Read the whole statement

“[Wikipedia is] like a sausage: you might like the taste of it, but you don't necessarily want to see how it's made.”In their wordscite newsRead the whole statement

2003Chair of the Wikimedia Foundation Board of TrusteesOffice2003-20061966Born7 August 1966

Also in Deutsch

Photos 8

Jimmy Wales with Baby Globe

"Hello, World!" Jimmy Wales NFT

Jimbo Wales Hylian (rounded)

In their own words 10

Jimmy Wales

10 statements, newest first

What if we could get everyone in the world together to record what they know in one place?
May 7, 2020, Quoted by Larry Sanger in "The early history of Wikipedia (part 1) ~(1:49)" (January 2000), YouTube (7 May 2020), Own words
We are growing from a cheerful small town where everyone waves off their front porch to the subway of New York City where everyone rushes by.
Sep 7, 2005, As quoted in ExpressIndia (7 September 2005), Own words
Most people understand the need for neutrality.
Jul 2005, "How a ragtag band created Wikipedia" - TED Talk (July 2005); this has sometimes appeared paraphrased as "The real struggle is not between, Own words

Wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0

On YouTube

88 subscribers

Open channel on YouTube

Awards

President's Medal2017

Prix Giles2017

Dan David Prize2015

UNESCO Niels Bohr Medal2013

Internet Hall of Fame2013

Gottlieb Duttweiler Prize2011

Leonardo Award2011

Nokia Foundation Recognition Award2009

Quadriga2008

Young Global Leaders2007

EFF Award2006

In their orbit 2

Spouse Kate Garvey

Spouse Christine Rohan

About this person

Born in Huntsville, Alabama on August 8, 1966, Wales studied finance at Auburn and the University of Alabama, then spent the 1990s trading options in Chicago as chief research officer at Chicago Options Associates. In 1996 he co-founded Bomis, which bankrolled Nupedia, a peer-reviewed encyclopedia that moved too slowly. On January 15, 2001, Wales and Larry Sanger launched Wikipedia as a faster, open-edit alternative; it grew explosively while Wales became its public face, though he has disputed Sanger's claim to co-founder status. Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in 2006. He has held the Wikimedia Foundation's "community founder" board seat since its creation and delivers annual "State of the Wiki" addresses at Wikimania.

Country

United States