Open platforms and open source software remain a central tenet of Mr Wales’s ethos. He clearly regrets the failure of his attempt to create an open-source Google rival: Wikia Search. He had to close the door on that due to the economic pressures of the global downturn. But he is still optimistic that a Wikipedia-like search engine where everyone could vote results up and down could be a reality in the future, even if he has to accept his role is cheering from the sidelines and not at the centre of the creation. “I still believe there is a need to open up search and it will come eventually. It is very important to challenge the current models,” he explains.