Jimmy Wales
American-British internet entrepreneur; co-founder of Wikipedia and Fandom.
At a glance
Also on this page: Key facts · Links · Sources · Related pages
- Jimmy Donal Wales (born 8 August 1966, Huntsville, Alabama) is an American and British internet entrepreneur and former options trader.
- He co-founded Bomis in 1996, which funded Nupedia, and launched Wikipedia with Larry Sanger and others on 15 January 2001.
- In 2003 he set up the Wikimedia Foundation, chaired its board until 2006 and from 2008 held its board-appointed community founder seat (as of October 2026).
- In 2004 he co-founded Wikia, now Fandom, with Angela Beesley.
- His book The Seven Rules of Trust was published in October 2025.
Key facts
- Born
- 8 August 1966, Huntsville, Alabama1
- Wikipedia
- Co-founder, launched 15 January 20011
- Wikimedia Foundation
- Founder (2003); board chair 2003 to 2006; trustee from its creation (as of October 2026)1
- Fandom (Wikia)
- Co-founder, 20041
- Book
- The Seven Rules of Trust (2025)1
Roles
Founded
On the board of
- Wikimedia FoundationOrganization
chair 2003 to 2006, then chairman emeritus; holds the board-appointed community founder seat (as of October 2026) · since 2003 source on Wikimedia Foundation
Links
Sources
Last checked against its sources today
Is something on this page wrong or out of date? Tell us
How recent
The line under a date fills as time passes: empty when new, then one equal share each for a day, a week, a month and a year. For episodes and other items it is full at 2 years; for "last checked", at a year. A striped line means the date is known only to the month or year.