In this episode of pplpod, we profile Jimmy "Jimbo" Wales, the American internet entrepreneur and former financial trader who revolutionized how the world accesses information by co-founding Wikipedia. We trace his journey from a private "one-room schoolhouse" education in Alabama to his early career in Chicago futures trading, where he first capitalized on interest-rate fluctuations before pivoting to the dot-com world.

We explore the origins of the "free encyclopedia," including the failure of his initial project, Nupedia, and the pivotal decision to adopt the wiki model in 2001,. Wales opens up about the "dumbest controversy in the history of the world": his long-standing dispute with Larry Sanger over who actually founded the site.

We also dive into:

• The "Benevolent Dictator": How ...