Jimmy Wales: Founder of Wikipedia

Jimmy Wales: Founder of Wikipedia

  • 20 May 2026
  • 07:00pm - 08:00pm
  • $29.50 - $39.50
  • The Capitol
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RMIT University in partnership with The Wheeler Centre presents Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, for a powerful conversation about the erosion of trust in governments, mainstream media and online sources.

Can Wikipedia save us?

When Jimmy Wales founded Wikipedia more than two decades ago, he changed the landscape of knowledge forever – although at the time, almost no one realised it. Today, Wikipedia draws 11 billion monthly views in the English language alone.

In the current 'post-truth' era, the internet is a sea of disinformation, the rise of AI threatens to erode hard-won knowledge and facts are increasingly malleable. In his new book, The Seven Rules of Trust, Wales shows us that it's more important than ever to return to the problem at the heart of it all: that without trust, we have no knowledge. And without knowledge, we can't fight back.

Wales sits down with host Sally Warhaft to discuss the importance of trust in our online and offline communities, how Wikipedia evolved into one of the internet's most reputable sources of information and shares his optimistic take on the future.

Presented by RMIT University in partnership with The Wheeler Centre.

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