Wikipedia Founder Slams Elon Musk's Twitter Takeover, Expresses Concerns of Trolls and Declining User Engagement on Social Media Giant X

 Wikipedia founder, Jimmy Wales, has criticized social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) after its acquisition by Elon Musk. Wales expressed concerns about the platform being overrun by trolls and lunatics, leading to a decline in user engagement. When asked about Musk's acquisition of Twitter, Wales stated that many thoughtful and serious users are leaving X.

According to a study by Similarweb, engagement on the platform has decreased compared to last year. Wales emphasized the importance of having a public square free from trolls and lunatics, as X has become the default platform for global conversations. He also commented on Musk's offer to pay Wikipedia $1 billion if they changed their name to "Dickipedia," stating that he ignored the offer. Wales asserted that what Musk calls censorship, Wikipedia refers to as thoughtful editorial judgment. The conflict between Wales and Musk began last year when Musk accused Wikipedia of having a left-wing bias.

The dispute arose from a debate among Wikipedia editors about removing a controversial entry on the Twitter Files. Despite the controversy, Wikipedia chose to keep the entry, as it relies on a community of volunteers for content maintenance. In response to the current state of X, Wales launched Trust Cafe, an alternative platform focused on content trustworthiness rather than virality. Trust Cafe aims to create a community of trustworthy individuals and is not ad-supported.