Archive · 15 Nov 2025
Wikipedia Co-Founder Jimmy Wales Storms Out of Interview Over Founder Title Debate
Imagine you and a friend built a really cool toy together.
Now, imagine someone keeps asking you if you were THE builder or just ONE of the builders, even after you said it doesn't matter.
That's kind of what happened with Jimmy Wales, who helped start Wikipedia.
He was on a podcast in Germany, and the host kept asking him if he was the founder or co-founder.
Jimmy got really annoyed because he felt the question was silly and he'd already answered it.
He said it was a stupid question and left the interview very quickly, in less than a minute!
People have debated for a long time about who exactly started Wikipedia, and it seems Jimmy Wales doesn't want to focus on that specific detail.
Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales stormed out of a podcast interview in Germany.
The interview, on the show 'Jung & Naiv', lasted less than a minute.
Wales became agitated when the host repeatedly questioned if he was the sole 'founder' or a 'co-founder' of Wikipedia.
He called the question 'stupid' and expressed frustration at being asked multiple times.
The incident highlights a long-standing debate about the roles of Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger in Wikipedia's founding.
- Who
- Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales
- What
- Abruptly ended a podcast interview and walked off set
- When
- Friday
- Where
- Berlin, Germany
- Why
- Due to repeated questioning about whether he is the sole founder or a co-founder of Wikipedia
- Interviewee
- Jimmy Wales
- Interviewer
- Tilo Jung
- Podcast Show
- Jung & Naiv
- Location
- Berlin, Germany
- Duration
- Less than a minute (48 seconds)
- Incident Date
- Friday