I’m sorry to Jimmy Wales for the community doing this. I get that people want hard-cutting interviews, and I think it’s valid to do them, and that sort of interviewing needs to exist. But this is Wikipedia that we’re interested in, it was not the best way to start an interview.
I would’ve loved to have heard about the history and the day-to-day running, and I worry that people don’t understand how important Wikipedia and Wikimedia are to not only a large percentage of the world but to LLMs and the future of the world. Just because something isn’t new and cool doesn’t mean it isn’t crucial.
I admit that I used to donate about every year, and I stopped because I heard they had a ton of money already. I’m now second-guessing that, and will plan to give this year, because I use it indirectly most hours of each week now developing with LLMs, and I have fond memories of the old sets of World Book and Encyclopædia Brittanica our family had and the love and awe of learning they inspired. Wikipedia is that for today’s youth and will continue to be.
I'm sorry he was so immature that he couldn't withstand a reference to the elephant in his room.
If he had made it a condition of the interview, as Susan Sarandon apparently did for decades about "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", NBD. But he left it on the table, and threw a fit when it was brought up.
It's silly that Jimmy doesn't want to refer to Sanger as a cofounder. But knowing that, this is an even sillier way to start a conversation with the man that's been leading the org alone for 22 years.
My appreciation of Wikipedia has decreased as my own expertise has increased. A long way before I’m anywhere near an expert on a topic, I begin to spot misleading inaccuracies in its Wikipedia articles. Most often, information that is decades out of date — correct once, but now actively perpetuating old, inaccurate information.
If you’re relying on Wikipedia for more than discovery, be aware that you’re internalizing some amount low-quality or false information along with your layman’s view of the topic.
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[ 3.6 ms ] story [ 37.7 ms ] threadI would’ve loved to have heard about the history and the day-to-day running, and I worry that people don’t understand how important Wikipedia and Wikimedia are to not only a large percentage of the world but to LLMs and the future of the world. Just because something isn’t new and cool doesn’t mean it isn’t crucial.
I admit that I used to donate about every year, and I stopped because I heard they had a ton of money already. I’m now second-guessing that, and will plan to give this year, because I use it indirectly most hours of each week now developing with LLMs, and I have fond memories of the old sets of World Book and Encyclopædia Brittanica our family had and the love and awe of learning they inspired. Wikipedia is that for today’s youth and will continue to be.
If he had made it a condition of the interview, as Susan Sarandon apparently did for decades about "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", NBD. But he left it on the table, and threw a fit when it was brought up.
- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45930998
- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45936905
If you’re relying on Wikipedia for more than discovery, be aware that you’re internalizing some amount low-quality or false information along with your layman’s view of the topic.