Wikipedia spends $50 MILLION in 2023-24 on DEI

Wikipedia's 2023-2024 annual budget report has disclosed that the organization allocated more than $50 million of its $177 million budget to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. This information sparked widespread calls to cease donations to the controversial website until Wikipedia disbands its "woke" policies. Among the critics was Elon Musk, the owner of X and co-head of Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), who called for significant editorial changes to the website.

Musk's criticism follows years of outrage against Wikipedia's apparent prejudice against conservative idea and the targeting political opponents with misinformation on its website, often labeling anyone to the right of center as "far-right." The website even went so far as to erroneously assert, as fact, that President-elect Donald Trump was a "fascist," before removing the label following widespread criticism.

"Stop donating to Wokepedia until they restore balance to their editing authority," Musk wrote on X. According to the report, Wikipedia budgeted $51.7 million for equity, safety, and inclusion, followed by $86.1 million for infrastructure and $39.2 million for effectiveness.

Last year, Musk offered to buy Wikipedia for $1 billion if it were to change its name to "Dickipedia." The suggestion followed a feud between Musk and Wikipedia over the website's misinformation and leftwing bias. 

Elon Musk and his DOGE co-head Vivek Ramaswamy, the two billionaires in charge of cutting government waste, are expected to suggest a reduction in agency-wide spending on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) projects, sources familiar with the matter told CNN. One of DOGE's earliest recommendations for action could be to revoke executive acts related to DEI enacted by the Biden administration.

Futhermore, Musk and Ramaswamy have been transparent about their contempt for DEI. Earlier this year, Musk referred to it as "just another word for racism" and asserted that "DEI must die." Last month, Ramaswamy wrote about his intentions to slash DEI initiatives on X, saying, "An efficient government has no place for DEI bloat. Time to DOGE it."