On Mon, Feb 29, 2016 at 8:00 AM, Jimmy Wales jimmywales@wikia-inc.com wrote:
James had gotten, from somewhere, the idea that there really was a secret project to build a Google-competing search engine. We had a discussion where I told him that wasn't right. We had further discussions at the board level of what it means, and eventually James himself made the motion to approve the Knight grant, and voted in favor of it.
​Jimmy, this is something I find disturbing.
In October 2015 James opposed accepting the grant application because of the lack of clarity and transparency around it. [1] But on 7 November he not only formally supported its acceptance, but actually proposed it to the Board. [2]
James has written that he did this "following pressure which included comments about potentially removing members of the Board." [3] He wrote: "Jimmy Wales had made comments about removing other board members during the days before the Knight grant vote. I believed that my opposing at that point in time would have changed nothing (because there were not enough opposing votes to block it), and doing so would have led to my removal." [4]
After his removal, you used that he had proposed accepting the grant to show that he was being inconsistent. You later called it a "flat out lie" that any board member had put pressure on him. [5]
James is an honest and independent-minded person. If he says he acted under pressure, he did. That doesn't mean anyone intended him to feel that way, of course. But please say whether you said anything about removing board members during, or in the days leading up to, that meeting.
If James did feel so much pressure that he acted against his own views, it raises the question of whether other trustees have been similarly affected, now or in the past. When we elect trustees, we need to know that they're going to make their own decisions.
This is one of the many reasons we need all the emails to be released, as well as all documentation around the Knowledge Engine and Knight grant.
Sarah
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2016-02-03/In_foc...
[2] https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Minutes/2015-11-07#Knight_Foundation_Gr...
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2016-02-03/In_foc...
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:Doc_James&diff=prev...
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:Jimbo_Wales&diff=pr...