Claim: Jimmy Wales is an American.

Jimmy Donal `` Jimbo '' Wales -LRB- -LSB- 'd ʒɪmi_ˈdoʊnəl_ˈweɪlz -RSB- born August 7 , 1966 in Huntsville , Alabama -RRB- 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 .   Wales was born in Huntsville , Alabama , where he attended Randolph School , a university-preparatory school . Later , he earned bachelor 's and master 's degrees in Finance from Auburn University and the University of Alabama , respectively .   While in graduate school , Wales taught at two universities ; however , he departed before completing a PhD to take a job in finance , and later worked as the Research Director of a Chicago , Illinois , futures and options firm . In 1996 , he and two partners founded Bomis , an adult web portal featuring entertainment and adult content . The company would provide the initial funding for the peer-reviewed free encyclopedia , Nupedia -LRB- 2000 -- 03 -RRB- , and its successor , Wikipedia .   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 . He is historically cited as a co-founder of Wikipedia , though he has disputed the `` co - '' designation , declaring himself the sole founder .   Wales serves on the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees , the non-profit charitable organization that he helped establish to operate Wikipedia , holding its board-appointed `` community founder '' seat . In 2004 , he co-founded Wikia , a for-profit wiki hosting service . His role in creating Wikipedia , which has become the world 's largest encyclopedia , prompted Time Magazine to name him in their 2006 list of `` The 100 Most Influential People in the World '' .