Jimmy Wales
Jimmy Wales is the co-founder of Wikipedia, self-described libertarian and strong advocate of free-market capitalism. Jimmy Wales is an objectivist who follows the philosophy of Friedrich Hayek and Ayn Rand. [1] Wales told an interviewer in Reason magazine, "One can't understand my ideas about Wikipedia without understanding Hayek." [2] His favorite book is Atlas Shrugged by Rand.
Jimmy Wales became a millionaire by trading stock; before funding Wikipedia, he funded Bomis Inc. in 1996, an online pornography portal.[3] Besides funding the non-profit Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales also funded the for-profit Wikia, a company that provides wiki services for businesses and organizations.
Wales was caught editing his own profile on Wikipedia in a bit of a scandal in an effort to downplay Larry Sanger's role in the company and distance himself from his Bomis past.
References
- ↑ Interview with Jimmy Wales conducted by Brian Lamb, C-SPAN Transcript, September 25, 2005.
- ↑ Wikipedia and Beyond, Jimmy Wales' sprawling vision, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Reasononline.com, June 2007.
- ↑ http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2005/12/69880
External Links
Jimmy Wales' Blog (this blog was last updated Feb. 16, 2007) Template:Stub