Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales explains that the critical illness of his newborn daughter, Kira, and the subsequent struggle to find reliable, accessible medical information online directly spurred him to abandon Nupedia and launch Wikipedia. The need for readily available, trusted knowledge became deeply personal.
Kira was born seriously ill less than a month before Wikipedia’s launch. She had inhaled contaminated amniotic fluid during birth, resulting in meconium aspiration syndrome. While traditional treatment offered only basic support, a doctor in San Diego proposed a radical new procedure. This involved temporarily stopping the baby’s breathing, routing her blood through a machine for oxygenation, filling her lungs multiple times with a novel protein-based fluid, and then returning the blood to her body. We were asked to decide immediately whether to proceed, but we were completely unprepared for such a complex medical decision.
We knew nothing about meconium aspiration syndrome or its dangers. Although the doctors did their best to explain, I needed more information to make the most important decision of my life. I rushed to the internet but found only scattered, frustrating scraps. Some information came from random strangers, making its reliability impossible to judge. Other details were buried in scientific papers, which, while reliable, were far too complex for me to quickly read and understand as a layperson. There was nothing bridging these two extremes. The information needed was out there, but searching felt like sifting through the debris of a bombed-out library, all while the clock was ticking.
Despite feeling completely in the dark, Kira’s mother and I authorized the procedure.
The treatment worked. Kira survived and thrived, and we were incredibly lucky. At the time, I was still struggling to launch Wikipedia’s predecessor, Nupedia. Like Wikipedia, Nupedia was an online encyclopedia relying on volunteers, but it required volunteers to submit a CV and follow a rigorous seven-step submission process. I quickly realized Nupedia would never truly succeed.
The crucible of Kira’s birth solidified my resolve. The internet could not continue to be a mix of unreliable random posts and scientific papers inaccessible to the public. There needed to be a reliable, online encyclopedia that anyone could read and understand. Soon after driving Kira home, I abandoned Nupedia’s model and launched Wikipedia.
Today, worried parents will never face that same agonizing experience. Wikipedia now features excellent articles on meconium, meconium aspiration syndrome, amniotic fluid, prenatal development, and a vast array of other medical topics. Anyone with a reliable connection can access this information instantly and for free.
Of course, Wikipedia is far from the final word on health or anything else. Like any human creation, it has flaws and failings—a fact known best by the nearly 260,000 monthly volunteers who continuously edit and strive to improve it. Yet, for simple facts—“How old is Tom Cruise?”—Wikipedia is outstanding. And as a starting point on complex subjects—a way to find your bearings, identify good sources, and begin exploration—it is wonderful on almost any topic, from the trivial to the profound.
In just over two decades, Wikipedia has grown from a seemingly ridiculous idea into a globally trusted source of information.
Long before Wikipedia became the biggest collection of knowledge in the history of the world, it first had to overcome its greatest challenge: convincing strangers on the internet to cooperate and talk with one another. To achieve this, those strangers had to establish trust.
They needed to trust that others would not be abusive or uncivil. They had to trust that their contributions would not be erased or changed without careful consideration or explanation. They needed to believe others would sincerely listen to their input and thoughtfully consider it. Crucially, they had to trust that even when others didn’t agree with them, they would still be treated fairly. Only once this internal trust among volunteers was established could Wikipedia truly get off the ground.
The hallmark of an excellent utility—like electricity, drinking water, or plumbing—is that people use it constantly without having to think about it. If you live in a country where electricity is reliable, you don’t think, “I hope the electricity is working” when you flip a light switch; you just think about light. Only on the rare occasion when the switch yields no result does the utility cross your mind.
Relying on something without thinking about it is the ultimate expression of trust. Around the world, Wikipedia has achieved this level of trust with an immense number of people, receiving nearly 10,000 page views every second. This achievement, I must say, is the fulfillment of my very personal dream.
