Jimmy Wales. Jimmy Donal "Jimbo" Wales (/ˈdʒɪmi ˈdoʊnəl ˈweɪlz/; born August 7, 1966[2]) is an American Internet entrepreneur best known as the co-founder and promoter of the online non-profit encyclopedia Wikipedia and the for-profit Wikia web-hosting company.[3][4] Wales was born in Huntsville, Alabama, where he attended Randolph School, a university-preparatory school, earning bachelor's and master's degrees in finance.
While in graduate school, he taught at two universities, but left before completing a PhD in order to take a job in finance and later worked as the research director of a Chicago futures and options firm. In 1996, he and two partners founded Bomis, a male-oriented web portal featuring entertainment and adult content. Jimmy Wales. Jimmy Wales: Wikipedia chief to advise Whitehall on policy.