Wikipedia lays off its workers: transparency does not reach HR

Published on June 26, 2026 | Translated from Spanish

The Wikimedia Foundation, which champions free knowledge and global transparency, has laid off part of its staff without prior dialogue. While the platform preaches open participation, its own employees suffer from a lack of communication and precarious working conditions. A hypocrisy that contradicts the values they preach.

Aerial view of an empty office cubicle, monitor showing a Wikipedia page in the process of being deleted, an overturned office chair, disconnected network cables hanging, a keyboard with loose keys on the desk, crumpled papers with organizational flowcharts on the floor, a fallen Wikimedia Foundation plaque, cold fluorescent lighting, an atmosphere of abandonment, cinematic photorealistic style, detailed metallic and plastic textures, harsh shadows, cluttered composition

Open source doesn't enter human resources management 🏢

If Wikipedia is based on collaboration and consensus for editing articles, its internal management should reflect those principles. Laying off without negotiating with the union is like publishing an edit without review: it generates errors and distrust. The technical and ethical solution is to recognize labor representation and restore communication channels. Only then can a stable environment be guaranteed to sustain the quality of the service used by millions.

The free encyclopedia... of labor rights, apparently ⚖️

It turns out that the foundation that teaches us to cite reliable sources does not apply that lesson in its offices. While volunteers correct vandalism in articles, management deletes jobs without consultation. If transparency is their banner, perhaps they should also hang it on the door of the human resources department.