[Foundation-l] board candidacies

Fri Aug 11 20:13:16 UTC 2006

Let me clarify, that did not say what I wanted it to say.

Jimmy Wales wrote:
> George Herbert wrote:
>>
>> That is not to minimize the question - if we generalize, if Joe Random
>> Billionare comes to the WMF with a million dollar donation check and 
>> asks
>> for a board seat in return, it's still a completely valid policy 
>> question.
>> And could well be a realistic problem.
>>
>>
>>   
> Well, for us today, $1 million is not very much money.

In the early days of Wikipedia, I worried a lot about how we might 
survive.  It seemed to me that if someone came
and offered $1 million, then of course we would offer them a seat on the 
board.  Nowadays, we are strong, we are strong because
we have broad support from the general public and from ourselves, our 
own community.  We do not fear about surviving.  Therefore, to give
up any of our independence for $1 million would be a bad decision.

I did not mean to imply that $1 million is not a lot of money.  
Obviously it is. :)  But our principles are worth more.

--Jimbo