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Elon Musk's ongoing campaign against Wikipedia has taken another bizarre turn. The Tesla CEO has doubled down on his outlandish offer to donate $1 billion to the online encyclopedia, but only if it changes its name to "Dickipedia." This renewed proposition and Musk's continued criticism of Wikipedia's funding practices and editorial policies suggest a deeper rift between the tech mogul and the Wikimedia Foundation.
Elon Musk has reignited his controversial offer to donate $1 billion to Wikipedia if the online encyclopedia changes its name to "Dickipedia." In a series of tweets, Musk reaffirmed his stance, responding to a query about the offer's validity: "Offer still stands. Come on, do it…" He also shared a screenshot of his original October 2023 tweet, making the same proposition.
Musk's renewed push comes as he continues to criticize Wikipedia's funding practices. He recently mocked the organization's requests for financial assistance, replying to a tweet depicting a man with a "Wikipedia head" and the caption "Wikipedia when I open a page on their website, it asks for financial assistance" with a simple "Every time" followed by a smiling emoji.
This isn't the first time Musk has publicly targeted Wikipedia's funding. Late last year, he urged his followers to stop donating to the Wikimedia Foundation, citing concerns about its spending on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. He responded to a post highlighting Wikipedia's budget allocation: "Stop donating to Wokepedia until they restore balance to their editing authority." This call to action coincided with his initial "Dickipedia" offer, which he has reiterated multiple times, including in November 2024 when he responded to a reshared post with "True. Offer still stands."
Musk's continued emphasis on this unorthodox proposal, adding a layer of perceived practicality (and perhaps humor) to the seemingly absurd offer, clarified the duration of the name change. When a user suggested Wikipedia could simply change the name temporarily to collect the billion dollars, Musk responded, "@Wikipedia, Do it! You can always change it back after you collect," to which Musk replied, "One year minimum. I mean, I am not a fool, lol."
It's unclear if Musk's Wikipedia critiques signal a similar ambition to his Twitter acquisition and Grok AI development. Still, the timing and nature of his comments do raise the possibility that he's considering a broader strategy regarding online information platforms. Whether this involves direct involvement or simply exerting influence remains to be seen.
