Maryana Iskander, the CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation — the nonprofit that owns Wikipedia — is reportedly stepping down from her position. The revelation comes just two weeks after the foundation was accused of violating its 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status by allowing propaganda and misinformation from “foreign actors” to flourish on the platform. Iskander, meanwhile, insists her forthcoming departure has been in the works for some time.
A search for a new CEO is underway by the foundation’s board of trustees while Iskander — who has led Wikipedia’s parent organization since 2022 — prepares to step down early next year, according to an internal memo obtained by Axios.
“I will remain in my role until a new CEO is in place,” Iskander told staffers in the memo, adding, “The hope is to welcome a successor by January 2026, a milestone that coincides with Wikipedia’s 25th anniversary.”
The Wikimedia CEO went on to say that her imminent farewell is part of a planned succession that she had been discussing with the board for more than a year.
Iskander told Axios that since she has become CEO, “We’ve expanded our technical infrastructure,” which includes “more data centers in more places,” and “We have more donors than we did before.”
Additionally, the “online encyclopedia” with an extreme left-wing bias has also expanded its program designed to urge large tech companies using the platform’s data extensively to make financial contributions.
Wikimedia board member Raju Narisetti, who is leading the search for a new CEO, praised Iskander’s work at the foundation, telling Axios, “What Maryana did over the last four years is bring [the organization] from post-teenage years into young adulthood.”
But not everyone is happy with the Wikimedia Foundation at this time.
As Breitbart News reported, U.S. Attorney for D.C. Edward Martin recently accused the Wikimedia Foundation of violating its 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status by allowing propaganda and misinformation from “foreign actors” to flourish on the platform.
Wikimedia’s tax-exempt status was called into question by the U.S. Attorney for D.C., who sent a letter to the Foundation on April 24, suggesting that Wikipedia is not just biased, but may be breaking federal law.
Martin explained that in order to maintain tax-exempt status, the Wikimedia Foundation must operate exclusively for “religious, charitable, scientific, testing for public safety, literary, or educational purposes,” as it is a nonprofit corporation.
Instead, Wikimedia “is allowing foreign actors to manipulate information and spread propaganda to the American public,” including “the rewriting of key, historical events and biographical information of current and previous American leaders, as well as other matters implicating the national security and the interests of the United States,” Martin said.
“Masking propaganda that influences public opinion under the guise of providing informational material is antithetical to Wikimedia’s ‘educational’ mission,” the U.S. Attorney for D.C. added.
Martin also pointed out that “Wikipedia’s operations are directed by its board that is composed primarily of foreign nationals,” which he said is “subverting the interests of American taxpayers.”
Wikimedia has therefore been ordered to answer several questions no later than May 15, so that the office of the U.S. Attorney for D.C. can determine if the Foundation is in compliance with U.S. laws pertaining to tax-exempt status.
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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