Elon Musk Proposes Dramatic Name Change for Wikipedia Amid Online Dispute
The tech billionaire offers $1 billion for a renaming to 'Dickipedia' as tensions rise over online journalism standards.
Elon Musk, CEO of X, has publicly proposed a $1 billion donation to the Wikimedia Foundation on the condition that it changes its name to 'Dickipedia'.
This unusual offer came during an online exchange with Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia, amid discussions related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Wales had criticized Musk's platform for removing filters that he claimed help distinguish genuine journalists from falsehoods, stating, "Fast moving claims and counter claims, and @elonmusk has removed all the core features that made it even remotely possible to tell real journalists from fakes," in a post on October 17, 2023.
Musk responded by urging Wales to "fix Wokipedia," a term he coined to critique what he perceives as the platform's alignment with certain ideologies.
Further into the conversation, Musk questioned the Wikimedia Foundation's financial needs for operating Wikipedia, emphasizing that a complete copy of its content could easily fit on a mobile phone.
On October 22, he reiterated his offer, stating, "I will give them a billion dollars if they change their name to Dickipedia," which he deemed a serious and robust proposal.
In response to Musk’s remarks, Wikipedia issued a statement on X, highlighting that it is the only website among the top ten most visited globally that operates as a nonprofit.
The organization emphasized that it functions with a fraction of the budget and staff compared to its counterparts, stating, "We do not fund ourselves through ads, we do not charge subscription fees, and we do not sell your data." The statement further affirmed that there would be no name change in the foreseeable future.
This unusual offer came during an online exchange with Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia, amid discussions related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Wales had criticized Musk's platform for removing filters that he claimed help distinguish genuine journalists from falsehoods, stating, "Fast moving claims and counter claims, and @elonmusk has removed all the core features that made it even remotely possible to tell real journalists from fakes," in a post on October 17, 2023.
Musk responded by urging Wales to "fix Wokipedia," a term he coined to critique what he perceives as the platform's alignment with certain ideologies.
Further into the conversation, Musk questioned the Wikimedia Foundation's financial needs for operating Wikipedia, emphasizing that a complete copy of its content could easily fit on a mobile phone.
On October 22, he reiterated his offer, stating, "I will give them a billion dollars if they change their name to Dickipedia," which he deemed a serious and robust proposal.
In response to Musk’s remarks, Wikipedia issued a statement on X, highlighting that it is the only website among the top ten most visited globally that operates as a nonprofit.
The organization emphasized that it functions with a fraction of the budget and staff compared to its counterparts, stating, "We do not fund ourselves through ads, we do not charge subscription fees, and we do not sell your data." The statement further affirmed that there would be no name change in the foreseeable future.
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