Last month, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales marked the 10th anniversary of the platform; however, he has not earned a single penny, unlike many other internet prodigies.
The charity board that oversees the free online encyclopedia, which is valued at approximately $5 billion, counts him as an unpaid member.
The 44-year-old American reflects, “It was either the dumbest thing I ever did or the smartest.”
Nonetheless, he takes pride in the platform’s accomplishments, boasting 17 million free articles available in 270 languages.
“It’s amazing what Wikipedia has become,” he commented. “I was always optimistic, but having over 400 million visitors to the site each month is phenomenal.”
Run by a team of 50 staff in San Francisco, the site allows contributions from anyone, which has led to instances of misuse by hoaxers attempting to deceive the public and media.
For instance, in 2008, a fabricated Wikipedia entry falsely claimed that the fans of a Cypriot football team were known as the Zany Ones who donned hats made from shoes.
Additionally, ex-banker Jimmy faces airport security mix-ups due to confusion surrounding the unrelated controversial WikiLeaks site.
by Milo Johnson
