Jimmy Wales
Early Life and Education
Jimmy Donal Wales, known as Jimmy Wales, was born on August 7, 1966, in Huntsville, Alabama, United States. He was brought up in a small town outside Montgomery, Alabama, where he attended a one-room school, the Montessori-based Randolph School. Wales credits his early exposure to the Montessori method for his ability to think critically and pursue knowledge independently.
Wales pursued his higher education at Auburn University, where he earned his bachelor's degree in finance. Later, he enrolled at the University of Alabama, where he received his master's degree in finance. He furthered his studies at Indiana University, where he began a doctoral program in finance. However, he did not complete his Ph.D., leaving academia to pursue a career in finance and technology.
Career
In the early 1990s, Wales worked as a research director at Chicago Options Associates, a futures and options trading firm in Chicago. He described his work as "speculating on short-term interest rates". However, his interest in the internet led him to leave the finance industry and venture into the world of technology.
In 1996, Wales and two partners founded Bomis, a web portal featuring entertainment and adult content. Bomis experienced moderate success, providing Wales with the financial backing to pursue his next venture, an online encyclopedia.
In 2000, Wales and Larry Sanger launched Nupedia, a free online encyclopedia. However, the project was slow to produce content due to its rigorous peer review process. To address this issue, Wales and Sanger introduced a wiki-based system, which allowed anyone to edit the encyclopedia. This led to the creation of Wikipedia in 2001.
Wikipedia, a free, open-source, and user-generated encyclopedia, revolutionized the way information is shared and consumed on the internet. Despite initial skepticism about the reliability of user-generated content, Wikipedia has become one of the most visited websites worldwide.
In 2003, Wales established the Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization to manage Wikipedia and its sister projects. He served as a member of the board of trustees of the Wikimedia Foundation until 2015.
Philosophy and Impact
Wales is a proponent of the open-source movement and believes in the democratization of knowledge. His creation, Wikipedia, embodies this philosophy, providing free access to information to millions of people around the world.
Wales' contribution to the internet and society has been recognized globally. He has received numerous awards and honors, including a place in the "100 Most Influential People in the World" by Time magazine in 2006.
Personal Life
Wales is married to Kate Garvey, a former aide to Tony Blair. They have two daughters together. He resides in London, England.
See Also
