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United States Jimmy Wales is an American Internet entrepreneur and webmaster, widely recognized as the co-founder of Wikipedia and Fandom.
Co-founder of the online non-profit encyclopedia Wikipedia. It is the world's largest open source encyclopedia, which grew rapidly after its launch on January 15, 2001.
Co-founder of Fandom (formerly Wikia), a for-profit wiki hosting service, set up in 2004. It hosts some of the largest wikis outside Wikipedia, including Memory Alpha (Star Trek) and Wookieepedia (Star Wars).
Founded the non-profit organization in 2003, transferring all intellectual property rights and domain names about Wikipedia to it. He has served on its Board of Trustees since its creation and holds the 'community founder' seat.
Co-founded Bomis in 1996, a web portal that featured user-generated webrings and, for a time, erotic photographs. It provided the initial funding for Nupedia and later Wikipedia.
Co-founded Nupedia in March 2000, a free, peer-reviewed, open-content encyclopedia, which served as a precursor to Wikipedia.
Launched an online publication in 2017 to combat fake news by combining professional journalists and volunteer contributors.
Launched an ad-free social network in October 2019, envisioned as a community-focused and funded alternative to platforms like Reddit.
Worked as a financial trader, specializing in futures and options contracts, accumulating capital that later supported his internet ventures.
Joined as co-chair of the mobile phone network in January 2014, advising on business strategy.
Appointed to a seven-member committee on privacy in May 2014, advising in response to 'Google v. Gonzalez' and the 'right to be forgotten' ruling. Also advised on the 'Wikipedia Zero' initiative to provide free access to Wikipedia.
Participated in a celebrity endorsement campaign for the Swiss watchmaker.
Joined as a non-executive director in January 2016.
Jimmy Donal Wales, also known as Jimbo Wales, was born on August 7, 1966, in Huntsville, Alabama. His early education at a small private school, the House of Learning, run by his mother and grandmother, emphasized a Montessori-influenced philosophy. He developed an early interest in encyclopedias, diligently applying update stickers to his mother’s World Book Encyclopedia, which he humorously refers to as his first experience in “revising the encyclopedia.” After attending Randolph School, Wales earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from Auburn University in 1986 and a master’s degree from the University of Alabama. He pursued doctoral studies in finance at Indiana University Bloomington, teaching at both universities before leaving without completing his PhD, attributing his departure to boredom.
In 1994, Wales began a career as a financial trader with Chicago Options Associates in Illinois, where he accumulated capital. Inspired by the internet boom and his interest in online collaborative projects like multi-user dungeons (MUDs), he transitioned into internet entrepreneurship. In 1996, Wales co-founded Bomis, a web portal, which, despite limited commercial success, provided the funding for his true ambition: an online encyclopedia. This led to the creation of Nupedia in March 2000, a peer-reviewed, open-content encyclopedia project. Dissatisfied with Nupedia’s slow pace due to its rigorous peer-review process, Wales, along with Larry Sanger, launched Wikipedia on January 15, 2001, adopting a wiki model that allowed for simultaneous and incremental contributions from a broader community.
Wikipedia quickly surpassed Nupedia in content, driven by a growing community of editors. Although Sanger initially guided Wikipedia’s early development and coined its name, Wales emerged as its key promoter and public face. In 2003, Wales established the Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting Wikipedia and its sister projects, transferring all intellectual property rights to it. He has served on the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees since its inception, holding the “community founder” seat and the honorary title of chairman emeritus since 2006. His efforts in popularizing Wikipedia led to Time magazine naming him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2006. In 2004, Wales co-founded Wikia (now Fandom), a for-profit wiki hosting service, further cementing his legacy in online collaboration.
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