Larry Sanger
Philosopher who co-founded Wikipedia and named it
- Age
- 58 yrs
- Birthday in 253 days
- Works listed
- 2
- Website
- Honours
- 0
- Awards & distinctions
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Larry Sanger is an American philosopher and internet project developer who co-founded Wikipedia with Jimmy Wales in 2001 and coined its name. He wrote many of its early policies, left in 2002 and later founded Citizendium. He has since become a critic of Wikipedia.
Biography
Education
Sanger grew up in Anchorage, Alaska, studied philosophy at Reed College and earned a PhD in philosophy from Ohio State University in 2000.
Nupedia and Wikipedia
Jimmy Wales hired him in 2000 as editor-in-chief of Nupedia, an expert-reviewed encyclopedia. In January 2001 Sanger proposed using a wiki to speed up writing; he named the result “Wikipedia” and drafted early guidelines such as neutrality.
Leaving and Citizendium
Sanger left in 2002 when funding ran out, and grew critical of Wikipedia’s treatment of experts. In 2006 he launched Citizendium, a wiki encyclopedia with expert editors and real names.
Later projects
He has worked on educational projects and the Encyclosphere, a network of encyclopedias, and argues that Wikipedia has lost neutrality. In June 2026 he was banned from editing English Wikipedia for publicising an internal discussion to his followers on X, which the community ruled was canvassing.
Timeline
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1968
Born in Bellevue, Washington, United States
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2000
Editor-in-chief of Nupedia; PhD
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2001
Proposes and names Wikipedia
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2002
Leaves Wikipedia
-
2006
Launches Citizendium
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2019
Proposes the Encyclosphere
Notable works
-
2001
Wikipedia Website
With Jimmy Wales.
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2006
Citizendium Website
Did you know?
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1
He grew up in Alaska.
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2
He wrote the first version of Wikipedia’s “Ignore all rules” policy.
-
3
He homeschooled his children and wrote about it.
Connections
Related people
Also born on 16 July
Frequently asked
Who is Larry Sanger?
Larry Sanger is an American philosopher and internet project developer who co-founded Wikipedia with Jimmy Wales in 2001 and coined its name. He wrote many of its early policies, left in 2002 and later founded Citizendium. He has since become a critic of Wikipedia.
How old is Larry Sanger?
Larry Sanger is 58 years old, born on 16 July 1968 in Bellevue, Washington, United States.
Where is Larry Sanger from?
Larry Sanger was born in Bellevue, Washington, United States.
What is Larry Sanger known for?
Larry Sanger is best known for Co-founding Wikipedia (2001); Nupedia editor-in-chief; Citizendium.
References
- Larry Sanger — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Larry Sanger — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Larry Sanger — IMDb. IMDb. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Larry Sanger — Goodreads author page. Goodreads. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Larry Sanger — Hindi Wikipedia. Wikipedia (Hindi). Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Official website. larrysanger.org. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Larry Sanger (Q185) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Larry Sanger”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 4 November 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Larry Sanger.” TrackFame, last updated 4 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/larry-sanger
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