In what's being called the shortest podcast interview ever, Wikipedia key figure Jimmy Wales dramatically walked out of a German talk show after being repeatedly questioned about his founding role in the world's largest online encyclopedia.
The 45-Second Interview That Ended Abruptly
The incident occurred last week when Wales sat down with German journalist Tilo Jung for his program Jung and Naiv (Young and Naive). The conversation turned tense almost immediately when Jung challenged Wales's self-introduction as the "founder of Wikipedia."
"Founder or co-founder?" Jung asked, prompting Wales to dismiss the question as "the dumbest question in the world." When Jung suggested there appeared to be a dispute about Wikipedia's origins, Wales firmly responded, "there's no dispute."
The Wikipedia figure repeated multiple times that "it doesn't matter" how he's described, but Jung persisted in seeking clarification about the factual record.
Historical Context of Wikipedia's Founding
Wikipedia was launched on January 15, 2001 by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger, though Sanger departed the project just one year later. Early press statements from the 2000s consistently referred to both men as co-founders of the popular free internet encyclopedia.
According to Wales's own Wikipedia page, he is "most notably" known for co-founding Wikipedia, stating: "On January 15, 2001, with Larry Sanger and others, he launched Wikipedia, which grew rapidly." The page also notes that Wales has "at times disputed Sanger's role, claiming sole founder status."
Wales has previously addressed the founding narrative in other interviews, including with American podcaster Lex Fridman, where he acknowledged Sanger's contributions while questioning the co-founder title.
Ongoing Tensions and Different Perspectives
The walkout highlights ongoing tensions about Wikipedia's origin story that have persisted for over two decades. Wales continues to serve on the Wikimedia Foundation board, the non-profit organization that hosts Wikipedia.
Meanwhile, Larry Sanger has become increasingly critical of Wikipedia's direction. Last month, he voiced concerns that anonymous editors were manipulating articles to fit ideological biases and that the platform's original standards of neutrality and verifiability had been "sacrificed in favor of ideology."
Sanger has emphasized his role in establishing Wikipedia's fundamental standards during his brief tenure, though he left the project in 2002.
The dramatic podcast exit, which saw Wales pick up his phone and walk out after just 45 seconds of conversation, underscores how sensitive the founding narrative remains for one of the internet's most influential figures.
