Drawing from his debut book The Seven Rules of Trust, Internet entrepreneur and Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales delves into why trust is essential to a well-functioning society.

He argues that the erosion of trust, spanning government, media, technology, and industry, has become a national crisis that’s destabilized personal and public life alike. Fueled by partisanship, sensationalism, and algorithms, we’re mired in an environment where division is rewarded and nuance often punished.

He says trust must be deliberately built, actively defended, and lived every day — and offers a roadmap for making that happen.

He invites everyone to start where they are and model civility in public life and online spaces, reward honesty even when it’s inconvenient, seek out perspectives that challenge their own, and demand accountability from leaders, the media, and platforms that shape public discourse.

Highlighting the human side of trust, he reminds us that people are born to connect, and that civility is not a sign of weakness but of strength. He reflects on Wikipedia’s core principle of ‘assume good faith,’ a simple idea that invites people to see the best in others instead of assuming the worst. 

He also underscores that trust creates long-term benefits for companies and institutions. Those that choose fairness and transparency, even when it costs them in the short term, build reputations that endure.

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