Innovation Speaker Jimmy Wales

Jimmy Wales

Founder, Wikipedia - World's 5th Most Visited Website & Founder, WT.Social

It sometimes feels like Wikipedia has always been with us, which speaks to the power of Jimmy Wales' vision and insight into the ability of digital technology to enrich our lives. Organizations that are interested in the future of technology and the internet and our relationship with it choose Jimmy Wales, the legendary founder of Wikipedia, as their keynote speaker.

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    Jimmy Wales biography

    Both a disruptor and the creator of a ubiquitous digital resource, entrepreneurship speaker Jimmy Wales is the visionary behind Wikipedia. A highly influential public speaker, Jimmy Wales reflects candidly, thoughtfully, and optimistic about technology’s promise.

    Jimmy Wales launched Wikipedia to test an audacious idea: making all humanity’s knowledge immediately available to everyone on earth. Previously a bond trader, Wales began his career in digital media by founding an electronic version of a traditional encyclopedia. His editor in chief suggested freely editable companion to the slow-growing Nupedia, and Wikipedia was born.

    More than 20 years later, Wikipedia is the internet’s fifth most-visited site. In 2007, just six years after Wikipedia’s launch, the World Economic Forum named Wales one of its Young Global Leaders.

    His latest venture is nearly as ambitious. WT.Social seeks to reshape social media by placing editorial control in the hands of users themselves. For his continued innovations, Time magazine named Wales one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

    Jimmy’s interests in norm-defying innovation, distributed ownership, and personal autonomy inform his presentations. He often discusses the lessons he has learned from Wikipedia, and the untapped potential of open-source software. Wikipedia’s distributed-ownership model reflects Wales’ perspectives on the democratic promise of the internet, and on cybersecurity.

    Always seeking to empower individuals, Wales also sees promise and danger in blockchain and related technologies. His candid thoughts on the future of automation and artificial intelligence made waves at BlockShow, Europe’s biggest crypto conference. For example The CATO Institute, the World Business Forum, and Stanford University are among the organizations that have benefitted from his presentations.

    Jimmy Wales Speaking Videos

    Jimmy Wales
    Jimmy Wales - Making data free for developing countries

    Jimmy Wales Keynote Topics

    One of the most sought-after visionaries in business and technology, Jimmy Wales led a community that built the world's largest and most popular encyclopedia - the 5th most popular website in the world - and did it all by working from home. In these engaging and actionable remarks, Wales provides lessons from the Wikipedia experience on remote work, and also bold inspiration on how even amid the current crisis there's opportunity for innovation and re-invention.

    An optimistic, forward-looking leader whose work directly shapes society for the better - Wikipedia has emerged as a trusted source of medical information amid the coronavirus pandemic, with millions of hits daily - Wales draws on his personal experiences at the forefront of his industry, providing pragmatic lessons on how organization's can embrace change, and lean into new tech in order to become more agile and resilient.

    Jimmy Wales speaks on a wide range of issues surrounding the future of technology, shedding light on the opportunities and threats for businesses and organizations in a globally connected world. Speaking fluidly about artificial intelligence, automation, and other new technologies that lie at the heart of disruption, Mr. Wales illuminates how open-source, open-content technology is changing the face of the internet and how businesses can adapt in order to compete and innovate. He reveals opportunities in tapping into new technologies—whether implementing new collaborative tools, or cutting-edge ways to interact with customers, distributors, and suppliers—to ultimately reveal what is needed to thrive in a Wiki future.

    One of the most sought-after visionaries in business and technology, Jimmy Wales has been in-demand at the biggest blockchain and AI conferences worldwide, including BlockShow Europe, the Digital Innovation Forum and Blockchain Institute. A bold and optimistic tech entrepreneur, Wales sheds light on the opportunities and threats of blockchain technology and automation, highlighting how organizations can adapt to compete and take advantage of the next wave of business disruption. His insightful commentary on the limitations of blockchain, and where the technology proves most helpful, regularly make headlines as he remains at the vanguard of innovation.

    Jimmy Wales launched WT.Social, a collaboratively editable social networking platform, in an effort to reclaim social media platforms from the corporate behemoths that only care about clicks, likes, and “engagement,” even if it comes at the cost of truth and democracy. In this fascinating, forward-looking talk, Wales shares his optimistic vision of how technology can actually help us change the way we digest news and shape society for the better. Highlighting where current social networks have failed by amplifying bad actors around the globe and allowing fake news to influence global events, Wales provides a roadmap for a better alternative: where data is never sold, where users have the power, and where the bottom-line is never a top priority. Fusing commentary on world affairs, technological advancements, business innovation, and the current media landscape, Wales offers eye-opening, timely insight into our world today, and where we’re going tomorrow.

    In this insightful speech, Jimmy Wales tackles the topic of cybersecurity and how it poses a threat to his vision of a globally connected world with free access to the sum of human knowledge. He addresses the dangers of government snooping, the value of encryption, and the negative impact of cybersecurity failures on freedom of expression and democracy.

    FAQs on Booking Jimmy Wales

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