Jimmy Wales

This week on One on One, meet the founder of Wikipedia.

Jimmy Wales started by thinking out of the box and, within a few years, he had created the biggest encyclopedia project in the world.

But, perhaps more importantly, he brought together a huge online community.

The path to becoming an internet pioneer began somewhat accidentally for this innovator from Huntsville, Alabama.

His parents’ passion for education led Jimbo – as he is known to friends – into a successful career in finance, speculating on interest rates.

He made enough money to gain security for life, so decided to explore the world of entrepreneurship. This led to the creation of the globally-recognised Wiki brand.

Wales faced a few wrangles along the way over financial dealings in the Wikimedia Foundation and the editing of content on the Wikipedia site, but the early bumps in the road soon gave way to the development of a concept that seems to have an endless appetite for growth and which has made Jimmy Wales one of the most prominent innovators on the internet.

Part two

This episode of One on One aired from Saturday, October 04, 2008.