Jimmy Wales is an entrepreneur.
Jimmy Donal `` Jimbo '' Wales ( [ 'd ʒɪmi_ˈdoʊnəl_ˈweɪlz ] born August 7 , 1966 in Huntsville , Alabama ) is an American Internet entrepreneur . He is the co-founder of Wikipedia , the online non-profit encyclopedia , and the for-profit web hosting company Wikia . In 1996 , he and two partners founded Bomis , an adult web portal featuring entertainment and adult content . On January 15 , 2001 , with Larry Sanger and others , Wales launched Wikipedia -- a free , open content encyclopedia that enjoyed rapid growth and popularity ; as Wikipedia 's public profile grew , he became the project 's promoter and spokesman .