ValleyWag, generally fails at rumors. Here, they fail again. Thanks God that we have cnet. ” Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales is “absolutely” not out of a job at the Wikimedia Foundation, according to the foundation’s director of communications.
On Saturday, Valleywag editor Owen Thomas reported that Wales was “out of a job,” writing, “Imagine an online encylopedia anyone can edit — and no one can run. Jimmy Wales, Wikipedia’s…cofounder, is no longer a board member of the site’s nonprofit foundation. Who’s in charge here?”
The Valleywag report didn’t cite any sources saying that Wales was no longer on the foundation’s board, though it did point out that Wales’ seat on the board–along with those of two others–had expired on December 31, 2008.
But in an e-mail to CNET News, Sue Gardner, the director of the foundation, wrote, “(t)here’s nothing to it. Jimmy is a much-valued board member of the Wikimedia Foundation, and I expect he will hold that role permanently: I know of no reason for anyone to speculate otherwise.” rest
Image Credit: Wikimedia Foundation