Jimmy Wales

What does it take to build trust on the internet—at global scale? In Episode 111 of The Puck: Venture Capital & Beyond, Jim Baer sits down with Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia, to explore why trust—not technology—is the true foundation of open systems. Wales reflects on Wikipedia’s evolution from a scrappy experiment into one of the most trusted information sources in the world, and why neutrality, transparency, and purpose matter more than algorithms or scale. The conversation centers on ideas from his new book, The Seven Rules of Trust, including how institutions earn trust, how they lose it, and what it takes to build systems that last. Baer and Wales also dive into: Why trust across journalism, politics, and business is collapsing How Wikipedia governs bias without a single “editor-in-chief” The role of funding models in preserving independence Why AI systems struggle with transparency and attribution What the decline of local journalism means for democracy How open debate—done fairly—can be a path toward social cohesion In a world increasingly shaped by algorithms, outrage, and information overload, this episode offers a sober, thoughtful look at how trust is built—and why it remains indispensable.