Rest of World

Mission

Rest of World is a nonprofit publication that challenges expectations about whose experiences with technology matter. We connect the dots across a rapidly evolving digital world, through on-the-ground reporting in places typically overlooked and underestimated.

About our name

Why “Rest of World”? It’s a corporate catchall term used in the West to designate “everyone else.” Companies use it to lump together people and markets outside wealthy Western countries. We like the term because it encapsulates the problems we fight head-on: a casual disregard for billions of people, and a Western-centric worldview that leaves an unthinkable number of insights, opportunities, and nuances out of the global conversation.

Vision

Our vision is to become an indispensable source of information that captures people’s experiences with technology outside the West by producing stories that:

Connect the dots

Journalism should reflect how tech ideas, impact, and products really spread and evolve. We spot trends and connections that go beyond borders, languages, and local markets. We break down how a new product feature in one country can inspire copycats that lead to devastating outcomes for users elsewhere.

Empower local journalists

Nobody can interpret a complex situation better than a local. We produce local coverage for a global audience without relying on parachute journalism. We prioritize hiring reporters and editors from the regions they cover: The 250+ freelance journalists we work with worldwide are never just fixers. Ninety percent of our articles in 2022 were reported by journalists on the ground. Working with them means we are preparing the next generation of tech journalists in their own countries.

Hold the powerful accountable

We hold companies, executives, and policymakers accountable for the impact of their work and decisions. In a world where a single product designer in Palo Alto can affect the daily lives of millions of users in New Delhi with one click, it’s critical to confront decision-makers with the impact of their work.

Challenge stereotypes

Too often in Western media, anyone outside the West is reduced to a flat stereotype. Our local-first approach ensures that we accurately capture the diversity of cultures and views held by the communities we write about, and represent them with dignity.

Focus on the experience

We compete every day in the digital attention economy. So we’ve created an innovative, immersive site experience that brings readers into the heart of the story. Most of the technology we cover has never been seen before by a Western audience. Our creative design and engineering team strives to make it easy for readers to put themselves in the shoes of the people we write about. We offer an industry-leading super-light page load experience, and mobile-first design considerations to serve users wherever they are, even in places where data and internet access are concerns.