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Rest of World
@restofworld.org
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We’re a nonprofit publication covering global technology outside the West. For the latest updates subscribe to our newsletter here: https://restofworld.org/newsletters/global/
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Rest of World @restofworld.org · Dec 3
How much did Starlink benefit from the close relationship between Elon Musk and Donald Trump?

Read Rest of World’s new investigative feature:
https://restofworld.org/2025/musk-starlink-trump-doge
restofworld.org
Want to bet on who the U.S. will attack next? An increasing number of people are using online prediction markets like Polymarket to gamble on war and other geopolitical events
https://restofworld.org/2026/polymarket-online-betting-politics-war-charts/
$50 on war in Iran: How geopolitical bets have surged on Polymarket, in five charts
Online traders are betting millions on war, airstrikes, and political unrest.
restofworld.org
February 10, 2026 at 12:16 AM
restofworld.org
“The US internet has become much more like China’s, not the other way around”
https://restofworld.org/2026/wall-dancers-china-internet-book/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_content=1770657360
To understand China, we need to understand the Chinese internet
In her new book “The Wall Dancers: Searching for Freedom and Connection on the Chinese Internet,” journalist Yi-Ling Liu examines the country’s censorship, viral trends and growing global power.
restofworld.org
February 9, 2026 at 5:16 PM
restofworld.org
A price war at home and shrinking government support have Chinese EV brands searching for customers abroad. Analysts predict that only 15 of the country’s 129 EV brands will be profitable by 2030 restofworld.org/2026/china-e...
The great Chinese EV exodus
A consolidation among Chinese carmakers is flooding markets from São Paulo to Dubai.
restofworld.org
February 9, 2026 at 2:43 PM
restofworld.org
Hiring by Meta, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Netflix, and Google has risen sharply in India in recent months. This trend coincides with the growing restrictions to the H-1B visa, often used by tech companies to bring international talent to the U.S.
restofworld.org/2026/h1b-vis...
Silicon Valley can’t import talent like before. So it’s exporting jobs
Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and other U.S. tech giants are ramping up India hiring.
restofworld.org
February 9, 2026 at 2:15 PM
restofworld.org
Chip factories are prioritizing AI over the chips used in smartphones and laptops, which is expected to push up prices for consumer electronics globally.

New from @violazhou.bsky.social: restofworld.org/2026/ai-memo...
AI is dominating the world’s memory chips. That could make phones more expensive
As chipmakers rush to serve AI data centers, consumer electronics are left in short supply.
restofworld.org
February 9, 2026 at 2:09 PM
restofworld.org
$50 on war in Iran: How geopolitical bets have surged on Polymarket, explained in charts
https://restofworld.org/2026/polymarket-online-betting-politics-war-charts/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_content=1770578401
February 8, 2026 at 7:20 PM
restofworld.org
Chinese companies, which now view the U.S. as unpredictable and volatile, are choosing to fund projects in politically friendly or neutral countries instead
https://restofworld.org/2026/china-fdi-north-america/
China prioritizes investments outside the U.S.
In 2025, China invested in manufacturing hubs and data centers in Asia, mining in Latin America, and energy projects in Africa and the Middle East.
restofworld.org
February 8, 2026 at 2:22 PM
restofworld.org
Wikipedia editors vs. AI Slop: The volunteer army wrangling the world’s chatbots
https://restofworld.org/2026/wikipedia-ai-training-regional-languages/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_content=1770553320
The volunteer Wikipedia army protecting against AI slop
The editors are both populating and fighting the world’s regional language AI engines.
restofworld.org
February 8, 2026 at 12:22 PM
restofworld.org
“In 2023, 700 Americans studied in Mainland China, down from 15,000 a decade earlier.”
https://restofworld.org/2026/wall-dancers-china-internet-book/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_content=1770492182
To understand China, we need to understand the Chinese internet
In her new book “The Wall Dancers: Searching for Freedom and Connection on the Chinese Internet,” journalist Yi-Ling Liu examines the country’s censorship, viral trends and growing global power.
restofworld.org
February 7, 2026 at 7:23 PM
restofworld.org
“I don't think this is just a phase.”

A look at the growing backlash against U.S. tech dominance
https://restofworld.org/2026/big-tech-backlash-alternatives-upscrolled/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_content=1770476460
The world is trying to log off U.S. tech
Some global users are turning to services like Proton Mail and UpScrolled instead.
restofworld.org
February 7, 2026 at 3:01 PM
restofworld.org
China’s traditional Lunar New Year holiday break is transforming family gatherings into an opportunity for AI chatbots to find new customers
https://restofworld.org/2026/chinas-ai-giants-launch-red-envelope-marketing-blitz-for-lunar-new-year/
Free boba and “red envelopes”: China’s AI giants launch marketing blitz for Lunar New Year
Alibaba, Tencent, and Baidu pledge millions and race to release new models before the holiday—fearing a new "DeepSeek shock" might steal the spotlight.
restofworld.org
February 7, 2026 at 11:25 AM
restofworld.org
For the first time, Waymo has disclosed that it employs workers in the Philippines to monitor and support its driverless rides, which are marketed as fully autonomous.

The revelation pulls back the curtain on the manual labor still underpinning the technology www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
𝐖𝐚𝐲𝐦𝐨’𝐬 “𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬” 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞 For the first time, Waymo has disclosed that it employs workers… | Rest of World
𝐖𝐚𝐲𝐦𝐨’𝐬 “𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬” 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞 For the first time, Waymo has disclosed that it employs workers in the Philippines to monitor and support its autonomous driv...
www.linkedin.com
February 6, 2026 at 3:20 PM
restofworld.org
Will AI-led automation kill India's $300 billion outsourcing industry?
restofworld.org/2026/indian-...
Why Claude Cowork is a math problem Indian IT can’t solve
As agentic AI automates the man-day billing model, the $300 billion outsourcing industry faces a brutal pivot.
restofworld.org
February 6, 2026 at 2:46 PM
restofworld.org
Chinese AI titans are gearing up for an intense marketing blitz in the run-up to the Lunar New Year, dishing out digital “red envelopes” filled with cash and releasing updates in an effort to capture users during the most important holiday of the year
restofworld.org/2026/chinas-...
China’s AI giants launch “red envelope” marketing blitz for Lunar New Year
Alibaba, Tencent, and Baidu pledge millions and race to release new models before the holiday—fearing a new "DeepSeek shock" might steal the spotlight.
restofworld.org
February 5, 2026 at 9:57 PM
restofworld.org
Questions around Chinese ownership of U.S. assets did not end with the recent deal for TikTok’s U.S. operations. U.S. senators Elizabeth Warren and Andy Kim have called for a review of SpaceX to determine if Chinese investors hold stakes in the rocket maker
February 5, 2026 at 9:31 PM
restofworld.org
While Silicon Valley spent 2025 polishing its marketing decks for the humanoid future, China was busy shipping the robots.

Nearly 90% of all humanoid robots sold globally in 2025 were Chinese
https://restofworld.org/2026/china-humanoid-robots-unitree-agibot-tesla-optimus/?utm_source=bluesky
China is running the EV playbook on humanoid robots — and it’s working
Chinese companies control 90% of the humanoid robot market, dominating the technology that will reshape manufacturing and labor. The West is barely competing.
restofworld.org
February 5, 2026 at 7:59 PM
restofworld.org
China’s growing distrust of the U.S. is showing in its investment playbook. Only 2.6% of China’s total foreign direct investment announced in 2025 went to North America, down from 27% a decade ago
restofworld.org/2026/china-f...
China prioritizes investments outside the U.S.
In 2025, China invested in manufacturing hubs and data centers in Asia, mining in Latin America, and energy projects in Africa and the Middle East.
restofworld.org
February 5, 2026 at 6:46 PM
restofworld.org
$50 on war in Iran: How geopolitical bets have surged on Polymarket, explained in charts
restofworld.org/2026/polymar...
February 5, 2026 at 6:10 PM
restofworld.org
Want to bet on whether the U.S. will attack Iran? An increasing number of people are using online prediction markets like Polymarket to gamble on war and other geopolitical events. The payoffs can be thousands, even millions
restofworld.org/2026/polymar...
$50 on war in Iran: How geopolitical bets have surged on Polymarket, in five charts
Online traders are betting millions on war, airstrikes, and political unrest.
restofworld.org
February 5, 2026 at 3:57 PM
restofworld.org
Wikipedia has signed major AI training deals with Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft. Now, regional-language Wikipedia editors are doing double duty: feeding LLMs with credible knowledge while fighting a flood of AI-generated misinformation
The volunteer Wikipedia army protecting against AI slop
The editors are both populating and fighting the world’s regional language AI engines.
restofworld.org
February 5, 2026 at 2:10 PM
restofworld.org
Tiny electric cars seem like an ideal way to safely commute around crowded cities. So doesn’t anyone want to buy them?
https://restofworld.org/2026/micro-ev-sales-slump/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_content=1770213662
Why won’t people buy these tiny electric cars?
Despite seeming ideal for crowded cities, these compact cars captured just $11 billion of the $800 billion global EV market.
restofworld.org
February 4, 2026 at 2:01 PM
restofworld.org
In her new book “The Wall Dancers: Searching for Freedom and Connection On the Chinese Internet,” journalist @yilingliu95.bsky.social examines the country’s censorship, viral trends, and growing power. Read an excerpt:
restofworld.org/2026/wall-da...
To understand China, we need to understand the Chinese internet
In her new book “The Wall Dancers: Searching for Freedom and Connection on the Chinese Internet,” journalist Yi-Ling Liu examines the country’s censorship, viral trends and growing global power.
restofworld.org
February 4, 2026 at 1:05 PM
Reposted by Rest of World
longreads.com
"Employees who complain about unpaid overtime are told they could simply resign, she said, so she doesn’t speak up when her seniors ask her to keep working late from home: '[My] mind is always online.'”

—Parth MN for @restofworld.org

restofworld.org/2026/india-t...
Death of an Indian tech worker
A wave of suicides and widespread AI-fueled layoffs reveal a workforce under extreme pressure.
restofworld.org
February 3, 2026 at 7:43 PM
restofworld.org
Chinese delegates will forgo their most important holiday – the Lunar New Year week starting Feb 17 – to be in Delhi for the upcoming AI summit
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
February 3, 2026 at 6:47 PM
restofworld.org
Is India's 2020 Chinese app ban finally thawing?
restofworld.org/2026/india-u...
Is India softening its stance toward Chinese tech?
After blacklisting hundreds of Chinese apps on national security grounds, New Delhi is reportedly in talks to partner with Alipay+.
restofworld.org
February 3, 2026 at 3:39 PM