Jimmy Wales: The Man Behind Wikipedia

Jimmy Donal Wales is an American-British internet entrepreneur, webmaster, and former financial trader. He is best known as the major founder of Wikipedia, a groundbreaking open-forum online encyclopedia. He is also the president of Fandom (formerly Wikia), a wiki hosting service, and chair emeritus of the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit funding arm of Wikipedia. Wales was born on August 7, 1966 in Huntsville, Alabama.

Age, Marriage, Career Net worth And More…

Wales earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in finance from Auburn University and the University of Alabama respectively. In graduate school, Wales taught at two universities; he departed before completing a PhD to take a job in finance and later worked as the research director of Chicago Options Associates.

In 1996, Wales and two partners founded Bomis, a web portal primarily known for featuring adult content. Bomis provided the initial funding for the free peer-reviewed encyclopedia Nupedia (2000–2003). On January 15, 2001, with Larry Sanger and others, Wales launched Wikipedia, a free open-content encyclopedia that enjoyed rapid growth and popularity. As its public profile grew, Wales became its promoter and spokesman.

For his role in creating Wikipedia, the world’s largest encyclopedia, Time named him one of “The 100 Most Influential People in the World” in 2006.

Jimmy Wales was born in Huntsville, Alabama on August 7, 1966 to parents Jimmy Sr. and Doris Ann. His father was a grocery store manager and his mother ran a private school called the House of Learning. Wales, along with his three siblings, received their early education at this school.

Wales earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in finance from Auburn University and the University of Alabama respectively. In graduate school, Wales taught at two universities; he departed before completing a PhD to take a job in finance and later worked as the research director of Chicago Options Associates.