History of Jimmy Wales in Timeline

Jimmy Wales is an American Internet entrepreneur best known as the co-founder of Wikipedia, a free, collaborative online encyclopedia. Before Wikipedia, he worked as a financial trader and later founded Bomis, a web portal. He also initiated Nupedia, a free English-language encyclopedia whose articles were written by experts, before it transitioned into Wikipedia. Wales subsequently founded Fandom, a for-profit wiki hosting service. He has also been involved in projects like WikiTribune and Trust Café, aiming to combat fake news and promote online trust. His work has significantly impacted the accessibility and democratization of information on the internet.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements

1992: Founded Objectivist Philosophy Mailing List

In 1992, Jimmy Wales founded an electronic mailing list dedicated to the moderated discussion of Objectivist Philosophy.

2003: Founded Wikimedia Foundation

In mid-2003, Jimmy Wales established the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) in St. Petersburg, Florida, later headquartered in San Francisco, California. The foundation's purpose was to support Wikipedia and its sister projects, with Wales serving as its official chairman from 2003 to 2006.

2004: Founded Wikia

In 2004, Jimmy Wales and Angela Beesley founded Wikia, a for-profit wiki farm hosting various wikis on different subjects.

September 2005: Appearance on C-SPAN's Q&A

In September 2005, Jimmy Wales appeared on C-SPAN's Q&A, where he discussed Ayn Rand's influence on him, citing integrity and independence, and labeled himself a libertarian.

June 5, 2006: Wales Stepped Down as Wikia CEO

On June 5, 2006, Jimmy Wales stepped down as CEO of Wikia and was replaced by Gil Penchina.

2006: Chairman Emeritus of Wikimedia Foundation

In 2006, Jimmy Wales was accorded the honorary title of chairman emeritus of the Wikimedia Foundation, after having served as its official chairman from 2003. Since 2006, he continues to hold the board-appointed "community founder's seat".

June 2007: Interview with Reason Magazine

In June 2007, Jimmy Wales was the cover feature of Reason magazine, where he described his political views as "center-right".

March 2008: Allegations of Edited Wikipedia Entry in Return for Donations

In March 2008, Jeff Merkey accused Jimmy Wales of editing Merkey's Wikipedia entry to make it more favorable in return for donations to the Wikimedia Foundation, an allegation Wales dismissed.

March 2008: Accusations of Misusing Wikimedia Funds

In March 2008, Jimmy Wales was accused by former Wikimedia Foundation employee Danny Wool of misusing the foundation's funds for recreational purposes. Wool also stated that Wales had his Wikimedia credit card taken away because of his spending habits, a statement Wales denied.

2008: Installed in community founder's seat

In 2008, Jimmy Wales was installed in the board-appointed "community founder's seat" of the Wikimedia Foundation.

March 2009: Wikia Search Project Abandoned

In March 2009, Wikia abandoned its Wikia Search project, an open source search engine intended to challenge Google.

September 2009: Wikia Reached Profitability

In September 2009, Wikia was declared to have reached profitability.

2009: Wikia Search Closed

In 2009, Wikia Search, an open source search engine created by Wikia to challenge Google, was shut down.

November 4, 2011: Delivered Address at The Sage Gateshead

On November 4, 2011, Jimmy Wales delivered an hour-long address at The Sage Gateshead in the United Kingdom, launching the 2011 Free Thinking Festival on BBC Radio Three, focusing on the future of the Internet and Wikipedia.

2011: Expressed Sympathy for Occupy Protesters

In 2011, Jimmy Wales expressed sympathy with the Occupy Wall Street and Occupy London protesters.

May 2012: Advising UK Government on Academic Research Availability

In May 2012, it was reported that Jimmy Wales was advising the UK government on making taxpayer-funded academic research available online at no cost, acting as an unpaid advisor on crowdsourcing and opening up policymaking.

January 2014: Joined The People's Operator as Co-Chair

In January 2014, it was announced that Jimmy Wales had joined The People's Operator as co-chair of the mobile phone network.

March 21, 2014: Spoke at Clinton Global Initiative University Conference

On March 21, 2014, Jimmy Wales participated in a panel discussion at a Clinton Global Initiative University conference held at Arizona State University, emphasizing the role of social media in societal change.

May 14, 2014: Reacted to European Court of Justice Ruling on Right to Be Forgotten

On May 14, 2014, Jimmy Wales criticized the European Court of Justice (ECJ)'s ruling on the right of individuals to request the removal of information from Google's search results, calling it "one of the most wide-sweeping internet censorship rulings that I've ever seen".

May 2014: Google's Response to ECJ Ruling

In May 2014, Google swiftly implemented a process due to the ECJ ruling, allowing individuals to request the removal of outdated or irrelevant information. Larry Page stated that 30 percent of the requests received by Google were categorized as "other".

May 26, 2014: Appointed to Google's Privacy Committee

On May 26, 2014, Google appointed Jimmy Wales to serve on a seven-member committee on privacy following the Google v. Gonzalez case, to advise lawmakers and Google on handling website removal requests.

May 28, 2014: Wales Contacted by Google About Privacy Committee

On May 28, 2014, Jimmy Wales was contacted by Google to join an advisory committee that would hold public hearings and issue recommendations not only to Google, but also to legislators and the public, in response to the ECJ's "right to be forgotten" ruling.

June 2014: Interviewed by TechCrunch on Google Privacy Committee

In early June 2014, Jimmy Wales was interviewed by TechCrunch about his role in Google's advisory committee on privacy, formed in response to the ECJ's ruling.

2014: Expressed Support for Open Borders on Twitter

In 2014, Jimmy Wales expressed his support for open borders in a tweet.

2015: Offered to Help Ed Miliband with Social Media Strategy

In 2015, Jimmy Wales offered to assist Ed Miliband with the Labour Party's social media strategy, but the offer was declined.

2015: Committee Chair for Lawrence Lessig's Presidential Campaign

In 2015, Jimmy Wales signed up as the committee chair for Democrat Lawrence Lessig's 2016 presidential campaign.

2015: Awarded the Dan David Prize

In 2015, Jimmy Wales was awarded the Dan David Prize at Tel Aviv University for spearheading the "information revolution". In an interview he expressed support for Israel.

2016: Signed Open Letter Urging Voters Not to Vote for Donald Trump

In 2016, Jimmy Wales and other business leaders signed an open letter urging American voters not to vote for Donald Trump in the presidential election.

2016: CEO of Jimmy Wales Foundation for Freedom of Expression

In 2016, Orit Kopel became the CEO of the Jimmy Wales Foundation for Freedom of Expression, a UK-based charity established to fight human rights violations related to freedom of expression.

2016: Conflict of Interest Concerns over WMF's Knowledge Engine Project

In early 2016, Wikipedia editors perceived the WMF's Knowledge Engine project as a conflict of interest for Jimmy Wales, whose business Wikia might benefit from the WMF spending money on search research.

May 2017: Described Himself as a Centrist and Gradualist on Quora

In May 2017, Jimmy Wales stated on Quora that he is a centrist and gradualist, favoring step-by-step change.

2017: Launched WikiTribune

In 2017, Jimmy Wales announced the launch of WikiTribune, an online publication aimed at combating fake news through collaborative efforts between professional and citizen journalists.

2018: Controversy Over Israel Stance

In 2018, Mondoweiss published an article describing Jimmy Wales as a supporter of Israel. Wales responded that the article was false and offensive, and he called Hamas a "terrorist organization."

October 2019: Launched WT Social

In October 2019, Jimmy Wales launched WT Social, an ad-free social network.

2020: Wales on his role

In 2020, Jimmy Wales compared his role to that of a modern monarch of the UK, noting he has no real power, but has the right to be consulted, encourage, and warn.

May 2022: Wales Doesn't Identify with any Political Label

In May 2022, Jimmy Wales said that he did not identify with any particular political label.

May 2024: Signed Letter of Support for UK Labour Party

In May 2024, Jimmy Wales was a joint signatory of a public letter of support for the UK Labour Party.

October 2025: Interviewed by The New York Times

In October 2025, Jimmy Wales gave an interview to The New York Times regarding the "culture wars," or the "speech wars," and scrutiny from Republican congressmen and the Trump White House on Wikipedia's activities.

November 2025: Criticized Wikipedia Page for Gaza Genocide

In November 2025, Jimmy Wales criticized the Wikipedia page for the Gaza genocide, arguing that its assertion that Israel is committing genocide violated Wikipedia's policy to maintain a neutral point of view.