Elon Musk has called on his supporters to stop donating to the nonprofit organisation that operates Wikipedia after it allocated over $50 million of its $177 million budget for 2023-2024 towards diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
Musk criticised the Wikimedia Foundation’s spending in a post on X, where he has nearly 210 million followers. He urged, “Stop donating to Wikipedia until they restore balance to their editing authority.”
The controversy erupted after right-leaning commentator “Libs of TikTok” shared a pie chart highlighting that 29% of Wikipedia’s budget was directed toward equity and inclusion efforts.
According to the Wikimedia Foundation, the DEI-related initiative’s budget was $51.7 million: 17.6% for equity ($31.2 million) and 11.6% for safety and inclusion ($20.5 million). Infrastructure and effectiveness combined for the remaining portion of the budget.
The Wikimedia Foundation explained that supporting equity represents the second most significant part of their programmatic work, with grants and movement support central to their equity goals. However, DEI initiatives have faced sharp criticism from conservatives, who argue that they promote reverse discrimination and downplay merit in favour of diversity.
Since George Floyd’s death in 2020, many companies in corporate America, including giants like Walmart, Ford, and Boeing, have embraced DEI policies.
Yet, growing pressure from right-wing influencers has prompted several firms to scale back their DEI initiatives in recent months.
Wikipedia, which boasts over 4 billion visits per month, has long claimed political neutrality. However, studies have found it exhibits a left-leaning bias in its content. Earlier this year, Wikipedia edited an entry about Vice President Kamala Harris, removing her designation as “border czar” after President Biden endorsed her for the 2024 race. This removal sparked criticism, as she had been assigned responsibility for overseeing the administration’s migrant policies.
A June report from the libertarian Manhattan Institute revealed that Wikipedia often portrays right-leaning public figures with more negative sentiments than their left-leaning counterparts.
It also found that articles about conservative figures tend to include negative emotions like anger and disgust, while liberal figures are more frequently associated with positive sentiments.
Larry Sanger, who helped launch Wikipedia, has been vocal about the site’s left-wing bias, claiming that users should be cautious in trusting its content.
Sanger has criticised the volunteer-driven editing process, suggesting that Democratic-leaning editors often remove content that doesn’t align with their views, including controversial topics like the Hunter Biden laptop story.
The ongoing debate highlights the growing tension between Wikipedia’s mission to maintain neutrality and the perceptions of bias surrounding its editorial processes.
