The Truth According to Wikipedia websites, and that it often rivaled Google for those searching for information on the Internet. Individuals who are interviewed and appear as commentators in the film include: Wikipedia co-founders Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger; "The Cult of the Amateur" author Andrew Keen; "How Wikipedia Works" author and Wikipedia editor Phoebe Ayers; Swahili Wikipedia contributor Ndesanjo Macha; O'Reilly Media chief executive officer Tim O'Reilly; "We Think" author Charles Leadbeater; and former "Encyclopædia Britannica" editor-in-chief Robert McHenry. Discussion topics include how the contributions of both unqualified and expert users affect Wikipedia, and more broadly, the Web 2.0 phenomenon. Charles Leadbetter puts forth
Jimmy Wales of a Chicago 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 (2000–03), 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