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Rest of World
Non-profit news organization and website From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Rest of World is an American nonprofit publication covering technology stories outside western countries.[1][2][3] Launched in 2020 by Sophie Schmidt, Rest of World focuses on the impact of technology in "glossed over" emerging consumer markets outside the developed West.[4][5] The publication is primarily funded by the Schmidt Family Foundation.[4]
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History
Rest of World was first announced in May 2019 by Sophie Schmidt, daughter of former Google CEO, Eric Schmidt, and Wendy Schmidt, as a publication about the impact of technology on the non-Western world, particularly in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The news website is operated by Rest of World Media Inc., an American private operating foundation established in April 2019.[6] The organization's operations are funded through multiple sources, including grants from foundations such as the Schmidt Family Foundation, donations and sponsorships.[7]
Rest of World was launched in May 2020.[8] That year, Anup Kaphle, a journalist who previously worked for The Washington Post, Buzzfeed News and The Kathmandu Post, joined Rest of World as its founding executive editor.[4] As of September 2020, Rest of World had 30 employees, with about 20 being full-time staffers.[2]
In January 2025, Maryam Saleh, previously an editor for The Intercept,[9] joined Rest of World as its first Investigations Editor.[10]
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Operation
News operation
Rest of World's office is located in New York City, while most of its reporters are in Berlin, Hong Kong, Bangalore and other international locations.[8] They also rely on a network of freelance journalists from around the globe.
Rest of World Media, Inc.
Rest of World Media, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) private operating foundation established in April 2019 and incorporated in the state of Delaware as a nonprofit, charitable corporation. The foundation has one subsidiary, Rest of World Media International, LLC, formed in January 2020 and registered in Kenya as a foreign company. Its purpose is to employ editorial staff.[6]
Rest of World has received numerous grants from notable organizations such as the Schmidt Family Foundation, Ford Foundation, Henry Luce Foundation, and Luminate – an entity operated by the Omidyar Group.
Sophie Schmidt said in September 2020 that she would be spending $60 million on Rest of World over the next decade, with no plans to sell advertising or to use a subscription model. She said she might bring in another investor.[2]
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Coverage
Schmidt said in September 2020, "There are three or four billion people who live in markets that are deemed not important enough to address, so there is just a huge gap in understanding what is going on in the rest of the world."[2] Kaphle said in November 2021, "We believe there's a significant gap in how the story of technology is told today — how many thousands of tech companies, apps and experiences with tech go unreported in Western press — so our goal is to fill that gap with compelling, immersive, and high-quality journalism."[1]
Rest of World maintains partnerships with international news outlets such as India's The Caravan and Mexico's Animal Político .[1] It has extensively covered the electric vehicle revolution, the gig economy, Chinese technology companies, and artificial intelligence in global markets.[11][12][13][14]
The publication won a 2024 National Magazine Award in the design category, for articles on innovative non-western companies, Chinese shopping platforms, and how AI stereotypes different nationalities.[15][16][17][18] That year, Rest of World launched an AI Elections Tracker to examine the role AI plays in elections worldwide.[19]
See also
- Institute for Nonprofit News (member)
- Sophie Schmidt (founder)
References
External links
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