The Wikimedia Foundation announced on Thursday, during Wikipedia’s 25th anniversary, that major technology companies are paying for access to its projects, including Wikipedia’s collection of articles. Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, Perplexity, and Mistral AI have joined Google in these arrangements.
These partnerships operate under Wikimedia Enterprise, an initiative launched in 2021. This program provides a premium version of Wikipedia’s API, specifically configured for commercial and AI company use. Lane Becker, the Wikimedia Foundation’s senior director of earned revenue, indicated that the program offers a version of Wikipedia structured to meet the needs of these companies, including addressing feature requests and data structuring.
Microsoft, Perplexity, and Mistral AI joined the Enterprise program over the past year. Meta and Amazon were identified as existing partners, with their involvement now publicly disclosed for the first time. The revenue generated through Wikimedia Enterprise is allocated to support the nonprofit’s projects, contributing to a more sustainable business model for the foundation.
Becker stated that supporting the long-term sustainability of Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects is beneficial for the continued operation of both the foundation and the AI companies utilizing its resources.