Reveal 'If Any': Sanger Asks Musk to Investigate US Govt's Funding On Wikipedia Editing

Washington: Larry Sanger, Wikipedia co-founder has asked President Donald Trump ally Elon Musk to find out which branches of the US government have asked employees to "edit, monitor, update, lobby" the online encyclopedia.

Sanger also warned Musk to reveal “if any” such operation is underway, and to “defund” it. He also added, “If there are *none*, we’d like to know. Agree?”

Larry Sanger Questions Musk Over Editing Wikipedia

Larry Sanger wrote on X, “Hi @ElonMusk. Wikipedia co-founder here. May I ask you to determine what branches of the U.S. government—if any!—have employees paid to edit, monitor, update, lobby, etc., WIkipedia?”

“Such operations should be defunded, if any. If there are *none*, we’d like to know. Agree?” he added.

This cryptic post comes as Musk leads the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), focused on reducing unnecessary federal spending to control the fiscal deficit.

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Billionaire Musk has often alleged Wikipedia to be "controlled by far-left activists" and urged his followers not to donate to the platform.

Sanger Urges Trump to Use ‘Executive Order’ to Ban Wikipedia Editing

Later on, in a separate post, Sanger requested US President Donald Trump. “could I persuade you to use an executive order to make it a policy that neither federal worker hours nor federal moneys may be used to edit Wikipedia or pay for Wikipedia editing?”

Sanger seek Trump's confidence by thanking him added that he “voted for” Trump.

Sanger, known for his conservative views, previously stated that Wikipedia has gradually shifted into what he describes as "leftist propaganda," despite its neutrality policy being established before the site’s creation.

Wikipedia was founded by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger on January 15, 2001. 

Sanger, who left Wikipedia in 2002, has been a vocal critic of the platform for more than two decades.