Wikipedia marks its 25th anniversary today, a milestone for the volunteer-built encyclopedia that now hosts over 65 million articles in 300+ languages. Launched in 2001 with just four pages, the site receives billions of monthly views and has become foundational to internet knowledge, powering everything from AI chatbots to journalism.

Despite this reach, Wikipedia confronts a perfect storm of challenges. Political forces, including the Heritage Foundation, have targeted its editors over alleged bias. Meanwhile, relentless AI scraping strains site servers, and the volunteer community is graying, struggling to replenish its ranks. The culture itself may be drifting from its founding ideals.

The Wikimedia Foundation has launched a microsite celebrating the anniversary, but the future is uncertain. Neutrality, source evaluation, and noncommercial principles now clash with a partisan, profit-driven internet. The warning is stark: Wikipedia's survival depends on collective commitment to its original public-benefit mission.