Photo: ZMcCune (WMF) / CC BY 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Honestly, Jimmy Wales might be the most quietly world-changing person alive. This kid from Huntsville, Alabama looked at the internet in 2001 and thought: what if we just... let everyone write the encyclopedia? It sounds naive until you realize Wikipedia is now one of the most visited websites on Earth, runs on donations, and has no ads — a genuinely non-profit corner of the internet that somehow survived and thrived. I love that he got the EFF Pioneer Award and landed in the Internet Hall of Fame, because those feel right — he didn't just build a product, he built a philosophy. Sure, Wikipedia has its edit wars and blind spots, but the audacity of the idea, and the fact that it actually works? That earns my respect every single time I hit Ctrl+F on a wiki page at midnight.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Jimmy Wales
- Name (Japanese)
- ジミー・ウェールズ
- Reading
- じみー・うぇーるず
- Born
- August 7, 1966 (age 59)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Leo / Horse
- Origin
- Huntsville, Alabama, United States
- Occupation
- businessperson / entrepreneur / Wikimedian / computer scientist / researcher
2. Background
- University
- Auburn University
Awards & achievements
- 2008 Quadriga
- 2006 EFF Award
- 2011 Gottlieb Duttweiler Prize
- 2013 UNESCO Niels Bohr Medal
- 2013 Internet Hall of Fame
- 2007 Young Global Leaders
- 2011 Leonardo Award
- 2015 Dan David Prize
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Wikipedia | — | |
| Notable work | The Seven Rules of Trust | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Jimmy Wales born?
Born August 7, 1966 (age 59).
Where is Jimmy Wales from?
Jimmy Wales is from Huntsville, Alabama, United States.
What does Jimmy Wales do?
Jimmy Wales works as businessperson, entrepreneur, Wikimedian, computer scientist, researcher.
What is Jimmy Wales known for?
Notable works include Wikipedia, The Seven Rules of Trust.
Businessperson — see all → · Entrepreneur — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.