Jimmy Wales discusses the inception, impact, and future of the internet phenomenon Wikipedia. The free, peer-edited comprehensive encyclopedia, available in 240 languages worldwide, was created when Wales realized that the internet had the potential to bring the citizens of the world together, and that all that was needed were the proper tools. Wales is dedicated to the idea of free access to knowledge, transparency, and, above all, neutrality. Even the Wikipedia entries written in Farsi about the recent elections in Iran (a deeply polarizing issue) are surprisingly neutral. As a principle, Wales says, he does not cooperate with censorship, which is actually proving less of a challenge as time goes on.

About

Jimmy Wales is an American Internet entrepreneur. In 2001, he founded Wikipedia and has become its spokesperson and main promoter. Wikipedia, a free, open-content encyclopedia that has enjoyed rapid growth and popularity, has become instrumental in disseminating information around the globe and has proved especially vital to those living under dictatorships, where knowledge is otherwise state-controlled. Wales sits on the Board of Trustees of the Wikimedia Foundation, which is the charitable organization that operates Wikipedia. He cofounded Wikia, a private, free Web-hosting service. His vision and initiative led TIME magazine to name him one of its 100 influential scientists and thinkers in 2006.