Wikimedia exit interview/Sue Gardner

Question submission ended on May 23, 2014.

Sue Gardner has served as the Wikimedia Foundation's Executive Director since 2007. In March 2013, Sue announced that she is beginning to wrap up her time as the head of the Wikimedia Foundation. In May 2014, the Wikimedia Foundation announced that Lila Tretikov will take over as Executive Director starting June 1, 2014 and Sue will transition to a special advisor role.

This page is designed as a forum for questions (an exit interview) from the Wikimedia community. Please submit questions below before 23 May 2014, 12:01 UTC.

It is ultimately at the discretion of the person departing which questions to answer. Wikimedia community members may indicate support for a particular question by signing below it. What the final format of these questions and answers will look like is currently unknown.

What do you see as the Wikimedia Foundation's greatest challenge in the coming years?

Submitted: 06:08, 22 April 2013 (UTC)

Endorsements: MZMcBride (talk); PiRSquared17 (talk); Thehelpfulone; Legoktm (talk); Klaas|Z4␟V:; Titopao (talk); Slventura (talk); Hfordsa (talk); Tarunno (talk); Wwllmm (talk); Rodrigo Padula (talk); Varnent (talk)^(COI); ~ Seb35 [^_^]; Elvey (talk); [your name here! sign with three tildes (~~~)]

What do you believe was the biggest or best change that you've implemented during your tenure at the Wikimedia Foundation?

Submitted: 06:19, 23 April 2013 (UTC)

Endorsements: Killiondude (talk); MZMcBride (talk); PiRSquared17 (talk); Thehelpfulone; Legoktm (talk); WhatamIdoing (talk); Titopao (talk); --MF-W; Hfordsa (talk); --Tom (talk); -Mh7kJ (talk); -- ɑηsuмaη «Talk»; Tarunno (talk); Rodrigo Padula (talk); ~ Seb35 [^_^]; [your name here! sign with three tildes (~~~)]

What aspects of the relationship between volunteers and the Foundation, its board and its staff, do you wish were better understood?

Submitted: 20:47, 23 April 2013 (UTC)

Endorsements: WhatamIdoing (talk); MZMcBride (talk); Thehelpfulone; Legoktm (talk); Titopao (talk); PiRSquared17 (talk); --MF-W; Slventura (talk); Hfordsa (talk); --Tom (talk); -Mh7kJ (talk); Anthonyhcole (talk); sats (talk); Tarunno (talk); Varnent (talk)^(COI); Djembayz (talk); Elvey (talk); [your name here! sign with three tildes (~~~)]

What does "leadership" mean to you, if there is a wide span of interests?

Submitted: 16:43, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

Endorsements

angel54_5 (talk)

Didn't mean to sign any, but this is a good one. :) --Nemo

Thanx. I think she values true questions...:)--Angel54 5 (talk)

--MF-W

[your name here! sign with three tildes (~~~)]

How should Wikimedia handle controversial content?

Submitted: 02:27, 25 April 2013 (UTC)

Endorsements: MZMcBride (talk); WhatamIdoing (talk); Klaas|Z4␟V:; Anthonyhcole (talk); rubin16 (talk); Titopao (talk); Pundit (talk); PiRSquared17 (talk); Hfordsa (talk); sats (talk); Wwllmm (talk); [your name here! sign with three tildes (~~~)]

If you could give advice to your successor (and other future EDs), what would it be?

Submitted: 16:28, 25 April 2013 (UTC)

Endorsements: PiRSquared17 (talk); Klaas|Z4␟V:; Wwllmm (talk); ~ Seb35 [^_^]; [your name here! sign with three tildes (~~~)]

What do you think is the most important quality for your successor to have?

Submitted: 11:40, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

Endorsements: Klaas|Z4␟V:; Hfordsa (talk); Wwllmm (talk); [your name here! sign with three tildes (~~~)]

What was the biggest mistake you think you made during your time as ED?

Submitted: 11:46, 17 May 2013 (UTC)

Endorsements: Der yck C.; Hfordsa (talk); Elitre (talk); Tobias talk · contrib; -Mh7kJ (talk); -- ɑηsuмaη «Talk»; --Rsrikanth05 (talk); Varnent (talk)^(COI) (would be more interested in knowing what you and WMF learned from it); ~ Seb35 [^_^]; [your name here! sign with three tildes (~~~)]

You mentioned "free and open internet" as a reason for departure. Do you think it is achievable in developing countries? Why? How?

Submitted: 20:45, 20 May 2013 (UTC)

Endorsements: Taweethaも (talk); PiRSquared17 (talk); [your name here! sign with three tildes (~~~)]

Is there anything particular you wanted to change in the system but you could not? If yes, what and why?

Latest comment: 10 years ago1 comment1 person in discussion

Submitted: 07:00, 14 August 2013 (UTC)

Endorsements: -- ɑηsuмaη «Talk»; PiRSquared17 (talk); Wwllmm (talk); --Rsrikanth05 (talk); Varnent (talk)^(COI); Conny (talk) 16:21, 15 May 2014 (UTC)Reply; [your name here! sign with three tildes (~~~)]

Do you still see contributions to Wikipedia as a public service and will you still hand out barnstars?

Submitted: 08:02, 9 May 2014 (UTC)

Endorsements: Jane023 (talk); [your name here! sign with three tildes (~~~)]

What are your thoughts on Wikimedia Commons?

Submitted: 11:05, 11 May 2014 (UTC)

Endorsements: Bidgee (Talk); Elvey (talk); [your name here! sign with three tildes (~~~)]

Why I should be interested in what you think?

Submitted: 23:36, 15 May 2014 (UTC)

Endorsements: Marcus Cyron (talk); [your name here! sign with three tildes (~~~)]

What are your thoughts on the future of the Wikimedia movement affiliates model?

Submitted: 16:09, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

Endorsements: Varnent (talk)^(COI); Saqib (talk); Elvey (talk); [your name here! sign with three tildes (~~~)]

Do you think Chapters are still relevant to the movement?

Submitted: 12:34, 22 May 2014 (UTC)

Endorsements: Bidgee (Talk); [your name here! sign with three tildes (~~~)]

If a genie granted you a 3 wikimedia-related wishes, you'd wish for...

Submitted: 22:17, 27 May 2014 (UTC)

Endorsements: Elvey (talk); [your name here! sign with three tildes (~~~)]

What do you think of the new Superprotect permission, its first use and the reactions of the communities?

Submitted: 12:24, 17 August 2014 (UTC)

Endorsements: Trofobi (talk); Sänger S.G (talk); [your name here! sign with three tildes (~~~)]

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