Jimmy Wales started Wikipedia as a scam after a string of failed porn sites he started (look up "Bomis Babes"). The intention was to sell the website to Britannica. That was his "big brain" business model then: make a knockoff version of a mainstream brand and sell it early.

But then he realized that the Wiki project would qualify for grant money from governments if it were structed as a non-profit and presented as an "open source" educational project. Government grants and donations. That's how he became wealthy, although he claims not to be a billionaire. There's no fucking way he isn't. Wales also works closely with those governments -- like Israel and the EU -- to censor articles, omit entire facts, and project political narratives.