Musk Mocks Wikipedia Again: "Change the Name, I'll Pay"

Criticism of Wikipedia Operated on Donations
Seems Like a Retaliatory Remark Against Criticism of Wikipedia

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and owner of social media platform X (formerly Twitter), has posted a series of mocking comments targeting the online encyclopedia Wikipedia. This is interpreted as retaliatory remarks in response to past criticisms from Wikipedia's founder.

'I'll pay if you change the name to "Dickipedia"'... Musk mocks Wikipedia's nonprofit operation model

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 22nd (local time), Musk posted on his X account a plea previously made by Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia, saying, "I will give them $1 billion (about 1.351 trillion KRW) if they change the name to 'Dickipedia,'" adding "for accuracy."

The English word 'Dick' Musk used can mean 'fool,' 'anything at all,' or refer to the male genitalia.

The plea Musk referenced from Wikipedia begins with the title "Wikipedia is not for sale."

Prior to this post, Musk also criticized the Wikimedia Foundation, which operates Wikipedia, for requesting donations from users to maintain its nonprofit status.

He said, "Have you ever wondered why the Wikimedia Foundation wants so much money? Clearly, that amount is not necessary to run Wikipedia." He then questioned, "You can literally put a complete copy of the entire text on your phone, so why is money needed?"

Wikipedia operates by allowing external experts and the general public to add new information about knowledge, which is then reflected after verification by administrators.

Regarding this, Wikipedia explained, "Wikipedia is the world's 5th most visited website but operates at a very low cost compared to other websites," adding, "The number of employees is less than 700."

X users defending Wikipedia countered Musk by stating, "The total data size of Wikipedia reaches 428 terabytes, and last year Wikimedia recorded $154 million in revenue and $145 million in expenses."

Angry Musk over criticism from Wikipedia founder?… Columnist says, "Musk only wants to shout crude jokes"

In response, the U.S. political media outlet The Hill pointed to Jimmy Wales' past criticisms of Musk as the background for Musk's attacks on Wikipedia.

In May, ahead of the Turkish presidential election, Wales criticized Twitter's then-action of blocking access to some accounts' content in Turkey. He stated, "What Wikipedia did: We stood by our principles and fought, and we won," adding, "This means treating freedom of expression as a principle, not just a slogan."

This was a pointed critique of Musk's behavior, who, despite advocating freedom of expression, allowed the blocking of content critical of the Turkish government.

Jo Williams, a columnist for the British daily The Guardian, criticized, "The reason Musk attacks Wikipedia is because its very existence displeases him," adding, "The owner of X prefers to shout crude jokes rather than devote time to democratic experiments for knowledge."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.