Wikimedia Foundation/Chief Executive Officer/Updates/Reflections from Around the Puzzle Globe

Dear Wikimedians,

I joined the Wikimedia Foundation six months ago, at the beginning of Wikipedia’s 25th birthday. It’s been an extraordinary introduction to this movement.

Bernadette at the WP:25 Virtual Celebration

I have met with more than 1,100 Wikimedians through one-on-one conversations and messages with volunteers and affiliates; Around the Puzzle Globe calls; community events like Futures Lab, WikiCredCon, and the ESEAP conference; and visits to communities in Tokyo, Lisbon, Cape Town, and Johannesburg. Valuable perspectives came from contributors of all kinds—those who are well known among other Wikimedians, those who quietly build Wikimedia projects every day, and even everyday readers of Wikipedia.

What struck me most is the depth of this movement’s commitment to free knowledge. Whether writing and editing articles, mentoring newcomers, building tools, organizing events, translating content, creating partnerships, or serving through affiliates, Wikimedians contribute in countless ways, and every contribution matters.

Across these conversations, one theme emerged consistently: we must adapt to remain relevant in this period of profound change for the internet and Wikimedia.

There are different views about what that means. Some believe Wikimedia must move faster and take big swings to embrace new forms of sharing knowledge across video and rich media, and experiment with new ways of reaching people who no longer come to an encyclopedia (or any website). Others believe that iterative change, long-form articles, and Wikipedia as primarily a destination are the better path forward.

I understand these perspectives.

After six months, I’m convinced of one thing: standing still is not an option. The world around Wikimedia is changing whether we change or not. We are seeing bigger and quicker changes than Wikimedia has experienced historically. Our challenge is to protect what makes our projects extraordinary while ensuring they adapt and thrive in a fundamentally different world.

That will require bold thinking, faster experimentation and iteration, and difficult decisions. But there are aspects we cannot compromise: the principles that make Wikimedia unique including, neutrality, verifiability, openness, community governance, and human contribution at the center of knowledge creation. I believe these principles provide valuable lessons on what’s made Wikipedia and the other Wikimedia projects successful, and can help us build a future where more knowledge is accessible to the world.

For the Foundation, this means grounding our work on the core principles of Wikimedia. Any experiments or ideas will build on community input and center humans.

Our principles are not barriers to change. They are the foundation that allow us to change without losing who we are.

This thinking has been shaped by the conversations I’ve had with contributors and affiliates and reading hundreds of community discussions, threads, and wiki pages. What follows are the themes that emerged most consistently from my learnings, and how they influence where we go next.

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