Wikipedia Has 'Zero Interest' in an ICO, Says Jimmy Wales

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales has said the not-for-profit online encyclopedia platform will "never" hold an ICO or issue its own cryptocurrency.

Speaking to Business Insider after giving a speech at a recent blockchain event in Berlin, Wales told the news source:

"We are absolutely never going to do that. Zero interest."

Wales has been skeptical in the past about cryptocurrencies and blockchain, notably saying that many ICOs are "absolute scams" and that they offer "nothing of value."

Wales was speaking at the Berlin event largely because "People pay me to give speeches," he said.

However, he added that, while he has "reservations" about blockchain, "It's a super-interesting technology, but it's clearly a bubble with a lot of mania and hype around it."

With its pages maintained by volunteers from the public and an ICO ruled out, Wikipedia will keep running via traditional donations – including ones made in bitcoin. Wikipedia started accepting the top cryptocurrency by market value in 2014, after Wales initially said he was "cautious" about the technology.

According to a CoinDesk report at the time, the platform made £140,000 in its first week of crypto donations. The roughly 237 BTC it received then would be worth $1.8 million at today's prices.

Jimmy Wales image via Joi Ito/Wikimedia