Wikipedia’s Jimmy Wales Cuts Interview Short After Founding Question

Jimmy Wales, the longtime public face of Wikipedia, abruptly ended a podcast interview in Germany after being asked whether he should be described as the site’s “founder” or “co-founder.”

Host Tilo Jung pressed the question several times, referencing the long-running tension between Wales and Larry Sanger, who helped launch Wikipedia in 2001 but left the project a year later.

Sanger has frequently criticized the platform, arguing it lacks accuracy and leans left politically, while Wales has minimized his early involvement and has even edited references to him on Wikipedia.

What began as a routine interview quickly escalated as Wales became visibly irritated, ultimately calling the question “stupid” before getting up and walking out.

The entire exchange lasted just 48 seconds, instantly becoming one of the shortest—and most dramatic—interviews in the show’s history.