Jimmy Wales

EXCLUSIVE
  • Founder, Wikipedia - world's 5th most visited website
  • Founder, WT.Social
  • Internet Entrepreneur and Wiki Pioneer
  • One of TIME Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People”

Leading futurist and ground-breaking tech entrepreneur Jimmy Wales is one of the most sought after visionaries in business and technology. Wales is the Founder of Wikipedia, the 5th most-popular website in the world, which strive to create free access for all to the sum of human knowledge. The stunning feat of democratization of information celebrated it’s 20th anniversary, having become a cultural phenomenon and remaining a leader in the fight against the proliferation of false information online. The tech giant creator is also the Founder of WT.Social, a collaboratively editable social networking platform, which aims to change the way we digest news. Driven by his passion for innovation, disruption, and the endless possibilities in the future of tech, Wales is a compelling and motivational keynote speaker for audiences of all kinds.

Named one of TIME’s “100 Most Influential People, Wales has also been heralded by the World Economic Forum as one of the top 250 leaders across the globe for his accomplishments, his commitment to the society, and his potential to shape the future of the world. Audiences praise Wales for his optimism for the future as well as his masterful ability to speak on complex issues ranging from AI, trends in new media, disruption, and resiliency. He consistently receives rave reviews for his in-demand events, such as: "We were all so thrilled with Jimmy. He was so open and dedicated to share with us, McCann people, media, students and the keynote audience such inspiring stories about him, Wikipedia and basically about such a wide array of interconnected subjects. We were all inspired in such a fantastic way by his presence here." (McCann/Thiess)

 


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Past Hosts Include:
  • Henkel
  • Sidley Austin LLP
  • DMexco
  • World Business Forum
  • CATO Institute
  • American University in Dubai
  • McCann/Thiess
  • Stanford University
  • Flexible Packaging Association
  • NOTA-Danish National Library for Persons with Print Disabilities
Rave Reviews About Jimmy Wales
I would like to thank you for all your efforts and help. The conference was a huge success. The participation of Mr. Wales was very much appreciated by the audience. His presentation inspired many. The tweets left no question on that. We hope to be able to work with you again next year.

In Conversation - Jimmy Wales: I’m not against Bitcoin, but it’s not useful to Wikipedia right now | CoinGeek [36:15] - Get Sharable Link
Talks & Conversations with Jimmy Wales
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Trust in facts: the future of knowledge in the world of ChatGPT and generative AI

[Written by ChatGPT] In a world where generative AI is making leaps and bounds, the importance of factual accuracy and trustworthy information cannot be overstated. That's why JIMMY WALES, the founder of Wikipedia, is proud to present his latest speech, "Trust in facts: the future of knowledge in th ...

[Written by ChatGPT] In a world where generative AI is making leaps and bounds, the importance of factual accuracy and trustworthy information cannot be overstated. That's why JIMMY WALES, the founder of Wikipedia, is proud to present his latest speech, "Trust in facts: the future of knowledge in the world of ChatGPT and generative AI."

With years of experience in the tech industry, Jimmy has seen firsthand how the rapid evolution of AI is affecting our society. In this engaging and thought-provoking talk, he explores the impact that generative AI is having on our understanding of what constitutes "facts," and how we can ensure that the information we receive is reliable and accurate.

From business leaders to technology experts, Jimmy's insights are invaluable for anyone who wants to stay ahead of the curve in the ever-changing landscape of AI.

Innovation and Resiliency While Remote: Lessons from Wikipedia

One of the most sought-after visionaries in business and technology, JIMMY WALES led a community that built the world's largest and most popular encyclopedia-- the 5th most popular website in the world-- and did it all by working from home. In these engaging and actionable remarks, Wales provides le ...

One of the most sought-after visionaries in business and technology, JIMMY WALES led a community that built the world's largest and most popular encyclopedia-- the 5th most popular website in the world-- and did it all by working from home. In these engaging and actionable remarks, Wales provides lessons from the Wikipedia experience on remote work, and also bold inspiration on how even amid the current crisis there's opportunity for innovation and re-invention.

An optimistic, forward-looking leader whose work directly shapes society for the better-- Wikipedia has emerged as a trusted source of medical information amid the coronavirus pandemic, with millions of hits daily-- Wales draws on his personal experiences at the forefront of his industry, providing pragmatic lessons on how organization's can embrace change, and lean into new tech in order to become more agile and resilient. 

What’s Next in Tech?: Thrive in a ‘Wiki’ Future

JIMMY WALES speaks on a wide range of issues surrounding the future of technology, shedding light on the opportunities and threats for businesses and organizations in a globally connected world. Speaking fluidly about artificial intelligence, automation, and other new technologies that lie at the he ...

JIMMY WALES speaks on a wide range of issues surrounding the future of technology, shedding light on the opportunities and threats for businesses and organizations in a globally connected world. Speaking fluidly about artificial intelligence, automation, and other new technologies that lie at the heart of disruption, Mr. Wales illuminates how open-source, open-content technology is changing the face of the internet and how businesses can adapt in order to compete and innovate. He reveals opportunities in tapping into new technologies—whether implementing new collaborative tools, or cutting-edge ways to interact with customers, distributors, and suppliers—to ultimately reveal what is needed to thrive in a Wiki future.

AI, Blockchain & The Future of Tech

One of the most sought-after visionaries in business and technology, JIMMY WALES has been in-demand at the biggest blockchain and AI conferences worldwide, including BlockShow Europe, the Digital Innovation Forum and Blockchain Institute. A bold and optimistic tech entrepreneur, Wales sheds light on ...

One of the most sought-after visionaries in business and technology, JIMMY WALES has been in-demand at the biggest blockchain and AI conferences worldwide, including BlockShow Europe, the Digital Innovation Forum and Blockchain Institute. A bold and optimistic tech entrepreneur, Wales sheds light on the opportunities and threats of blockchain technology and automation, highlighting how organizations can adapt to compete and take advantage of the next wave of business disruption. His insightful commentary on the limitations of blockchain, and where the technology proves most helpful, regularly make headlines as he remains at the vanguard of innovation. 

WT.Social, fake news, and the fight to save social media

JIMMY WALES launched WT.Social, a collaboratively editable social networking platform, in an effort to reclaim social media platforms from the corporate behemoths that only care about clicks, likes, and “engagement,” even if it comes at the cost of truth and democracy. In this fascinating, forward-l ...

JIMMY WALES launched WT.Social, a collaboratively editable social networking platform, in an effort to reclaim social media platforms from the corporate behemoths that only care about clicks, likes, and “engagement,” even if it comes at the cost of truth and democracy. In this fascinating, forward-looking talk, Wales shares his optimistic vision of how technology can actually help us change the way we digest news and shape society for the better. Highlighting where current social networks have failed by amplifying bad actors around the globe and allowing fake news to influence global events, Wales provides a roadmap for a better alternative: where data is never sold, where users have the power, and where the bottom-line is never a top priority. Fusing commentary on world affairs, technological advancements, business innovation, and the current media landscape, Wales offers eye-opening, timely insight into our world today, and where we’re going tomorrow.  

Cybersecurity in the Digital Age

In this insightful speech, JIMMY WALES tackles the topic of cybersecurity and how it poses a threat to his vision of a globally connected world with free access to the sum of human knowledge. He addresses the dangers of government snooping, the value of encryption, and the negative impact of cyberse ...

In this insightful speech, JIMMY WALES tackles the topic of cybersecurity and how it poses a threat to his vision of a globally connected world with free access to the sum of human knowledge. He addresses the dangers of government snooping, the value of encryption, and the negative impact of cybersecurity failures on freedom of expression and democracy.

Global Democracy and the Internet

Freedom of speech and the distribution of knowledge is the foundation of Wikipedia. Mr. JIMMY WALES predicts that the internet will democratize developing countries by making the world ‘flat,’ opening markets, promoting cultural understanding, and giving developing nations the resources they need to ...

Freedom of speech and the distribution of knowledge is the foundation of Wikipedia. Mr. JIMMY WALES predicts that the internet will democratize developing countries by making the world ‘flat,’ opening markets, promoting cultural understanding, and giving developing nations the resources they need to compete in the 21st century. With current total Internet usage by one billion people set to double in the next five to 10 years (with the majority of new users arising from developing nations), Mr. Wales asserts that internet will combat stereotypes, censorship, media control, and monopolies while simultaneously allowing citizens of developing nations to have a more prominent voice. As Mr. Wales states: "It does not take a lot of technology to foster open dialog and debate. Even the simplest technologies like mailing lists, wikis, blogs can help a lot. What is needed mostly, I think, is more content in local languages, and support from people around the world to help others join in the global conversation."

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Biography

Ranked by Forbes Magazine as a “Web Celeb”, Jimmy Donal Wales is a U.S. Internet entrepreneur, wiki pioneer, and technology visionary, who is best known as the Founder of Wikipedia, an international collaborative free content encyclopedia on the Internet, and the Wikimedia Foundation. He is also the founder of WikiTribune, a groundbreaking ad-free news platform that produces evidence-based journalism, and co-founder of Wikia, a privately owned free web hosting service he set up in 2004.

The origins of Wikipedia began in March 2000, when Mr. Wales started Nupedia (“the free encyclopedia”), which was characterized by an extensive peer-review process designed to make its articles of a quality comparable to that of professional encyclopedias. With the addition of wikis (a collection of web pages designed to enable anyone who accesses it to contribute or modify content), the project was dubbed “Wikipedia.” Mr. Wales laid down the founding principles and content, establishing an Internet-based community of contributors during that year. Wikipedia was initially intended to be a wiki-based site for collaboration on early encyclopedic content for submission to Nupedia, but Wikipedia's rapid growth quickly overshadowed Nupedia's development.

In a 2004 interview with Slashdot, Mr. Wales explained his motivations about Wikipedia, “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.”

The success of the project has helped popularize a trend in web development (called Web 2.0) that aims to facilitate creativity, collaboration, and sharing among users. As Wikipedia expanded and its public profile grew, Mr. Wales took on the role of the project's spokesperson and promoter through speaking engagements and media appearances. His work with Wikipedia, which has become the world's largest encyclopedia, prompted TIME Magazine to name him one of its “100 Most Influential People,” in 2006 in the “Scientists & Thinkers” category.

In 2003, Mr. Wales founded the Wikimedia Foundation, a nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to encouraging the growth, development and distribution of free, multilingual content, and to providing the full content of these wiki-based projects to the public free of charge. The Wikimedia Foundation operates some of the largest collaboratively edited reference projects in the world, including Wikipedia, the 5th most popular website in the world.

In 2004, Wales co-founded, with Angela Beesley, the for-profit company Wikia, Inc. Wikia is a wiki farm — a collection of individual wikis on different subjects, all hosted on the same website. As part of his work at Wikia, Inc., Mr. Wales is developing a human-powered search engine, Search Wikia, which will be based on the same open, transparent, community-driven principles of Wikia and Wikipedia.

In 2017, Wales founded WikiTribune, an ad-free global news platform that aims to address the idea that “the news is broken and we can fix it.” By pairing standards-based journalism with a team of dedicated community contributors and a crowdfunded business model, WikiTribune ensures articles are fact-checked and un-biased, sources are transparent, and users have the ability to flag and contribute to the articles they read.  As citizens’ demand for reliable, fact-based journalism grows ever-louder, Wales is blazing a path forward that will reshape news media.

Mr. Wales is a Fellow of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School. He serves on the Board of Directors of Socialtext, a provider of wiki technology to businesses and the non-profit organization Creative Commons. Mr. Wales has received an honorary doctorate from numerous academic institutions, including Knox College of Illinois where he was presented with a Pioneer Award from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and Maastricht University, where he received the Common Wealth Award of Distinguished Service. 

Mr. Wales received his bachelor's degree in finance from Auburn University and started with the Ph.D. finance program at the University of Alabama, where he left with a Master's. After that, he took courses offered in the Ph.D. finance program at Indiana University. He taught at both universities during his postgraduate studies, but did not write the doctoral dissertation required to earn a Ph.D.