Talk:Knowledge Engine (search engine)

Update needed
Cleaned up and resectioned. Still needs work to clarify that this was a concept that didn't get extensive development, and was merged into existing search-development. It's hard to find RS cites for that, however.

A final section with more recent references would be useful. – SJ + 14:00, 14 July 2020 (UTC)


 * The "this was a concept that didn't get extensive development" talking point may or may not be true. Given the extreme amount of secrecy and the huge (and hidden) budget, many people believe that the original secrets plans were to create a new search engine, and that the "this was only a concept" story was the story the W?F decided to start telling when things blew up in their faces. --Guy Macon (talk) 20:38, 1 October 2020 (UTC)

One point that is tricky to get at, due to the (lack of) availability of strong sources, is the scale of the aspiration. I am confident this was an effort to raise funds on the order of $100 million, but there is no publicly available source I could cite to justify it. But, to have the $250,000 amount of the Knight grant as the only monetary figure gives a very different impression of the scale. I think it's fair to describe the controversy around the Knowledge Engine as one of the most significant events in the Wikimedia Foundation's history, up there with the Spanish Fork, probably more significant than the more recent rebranding campaign or the Superprotect issue. How can that scale be properly conveyed? Perhaps a description of the impact on personnel is a better way to go? (ED ousted, one board member ousted, another resigned; dozens of staff left...) -Pete Forsyth (talk) 19:05, 22 July 2021 (UTC)