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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 · 23d
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
They thought engineering degrees would guarantee them jobs. AI has broken the illusion https://restofworld.org/2025/engineering-graduates-ai-job-losses/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_content=1766792400
“Everyone is so panicked”: Entry-level tech workers describe the AI-fueled jobpocalypse
Engineering graduates face shrinking opportunities and rising pressure to upskill beyond their curriculum.
restofworld.org
December 26, 2025 at 11:40 PM
restofworld.org
“I was the kid who learned coding in school, only to abandon it for writing stories about people who were building businesses by writing code.” https://restofworld.org/2025/vibe-coding-ai-app/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky
December 26, 2025 at 9:11 PM
restofworld.org
AI is shaking up OnlyFans. Chatbots are replacing the Filipino workers who pretend to be models in DMs with fans, and AI-generated images are so realistic that they cannot be distinguished from real photos
https://restofworld.org/2025/onlyfans-ai-dm-bots
A hidden network handles chats for OnlyFans stars. AI could soon take over
Impersonators for OnlyFans models said their sales quotas are soaring, and once AI improves, they could be out of work.
restofworld.org
December 26, 2025 at 8:31 PM
restofworld.org
Data centers were pitched as engines of growth. In many places, they’re now testing power grids, water supplies, and public tolerance
https://restofworld.org/2025/ai-data-centers-fallout/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_content=1766775544
Governments welcomed data centers. Now they’re grappling with the fallout
The boom in AI data centers is colliding with weak power grids, soaring energy demand, and growing local pushback.
restofworld.org
December 26, 2025 at 6:59 PM
restofworld.org
The fast-money pandemic era helped build billion-dollar startups around the world — then brought many down just as quickly. Will the AI boom be a repeat? https://restofworld.org/2025/tiger-global-unicorn-investment-crash/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky
Big bets and broken unicorns: Tiger Global’s rise and reckoning
The fast-money pandemic era helped build billion-dollar startups around the world — then brought many down just as quickly. Will the AI boom be a repeat?
restofworld.org
December 26, 2025 at 5:16 PM
restofworld.org
When Skype shut down, we asked readers to share how the video call company transformed their friendships, businesses, and love lives — for better or worse
https://restofworld.org/2025/skype-shutting-down
December 24, 2025 at 7:02 PM
restofworld.org
“‘DeepSeek is more humane,’ my mother told me. ‘Doctors are more like machines.’”

Why some patients — including our reporter's mom — are embracing AI chatbots, despite knowing that their advice may be flawed or even dangerous
https://restofworld.org/2025/ai-chatbot-china-sick/
My mom and Dr. DeepSeek
In China and around the world, the sick and lonely turn to AI.
restofworld.org
December 24, 2025 at 3:10 PM
restofworld.org
A Chinese battery company thought their new factory would be welcomed by a struggling Michigan town. Instead, locals attacked the company as a Communist Trojan horse
https://restofworld.org/2025/gotion-ev-battery-us-expansion-backlash-michigan
How a Chinese battery factory sparked a political meltdown in a small Michigan town
The ambitious executives at Gotion wanted to join America’s EV gold rush. Then came geopolitics.
restofworld.org
December 23, 2025 at 7:02 PM
restofworld.org
Half of all new cars sold in China are now electric. BYD has overtaken Tesla globally and is expanding across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

Our reporting on the global EV market in 2025: https://restofworld.org/2025/ev-china-tesla-2025/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky
EVs hit a fork in the road in 2025
As Chinese EV companies like BYD continued to grow at home and abroad, U.S. leader Tesla struggled with sales slumps and political turmoil.
restofworld.org
December 23, 2025 at 5:55 PM
restofworld.org
From scrollytelling and visual essays to faster pages and open-source tools for journalism, here’s what the Rest of World product team worked on in 2025 👇 https://restofworld.org/inside/rest-of-world-product-2025/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky
The year in Product
A look back at the features, experiments, and foundations we built at Rest of World in 2025.
restofworld.org
December 22, 2025 at 8:29 PM
restofworld.org
Why I left Silicon Valley: Chinese tech workers talk about returning home
https://restofworld.org/2025/chinese-tech-workers-leave-silicon-valley/
December 22, 2025 at 3:01 PM
restofworld.org
Weekend #longreads: Why did this man eat a battery?
https://restofworld.org/2025/gotion-ev-battery-us-expansion-backlash-michigan?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_content=1766358060
December 21, 2025 at 11:01 PM
restofworld.org
“We call it the ‘Love Boat,’” he said. “We spend more time with each other than with our own families, so we have formed strong bonds. We look out for one another.”

A glimpse of life on Africa’s only undersea internet cable repair ship
https://restofworld.org/2025/africa-internet-cable-repair-ship
When Africa’s internet breaks, this ship answers the call
Undersea internet cables are critical in today’s hyperconnected world. The crew of the Léon Thévenin maintains one stretch of this global network.
restofworld.org
December 21, 2025 at 4:01 PM
restofworld.org
For over a decade, Gaza Sky Geeks was a model for how tech could transform the territory. Just days after October 7, its office was blown to pieces by an Israeli airstrike. Now it’s trying to rebuild
https://restofworld.org/2025/gaza-sky-geeks-bombing-rebuilding
December 21, 2025 at 12:10 AM
Reposted by Rest of World
rinachandran.bsky.social
Data center deals hit a record of more than $61 bln this year. At the same time, local pushback is growing, from Chile to Brazil to India, and even lawmakers are questioning if the massive subsidies and drain on resources are worth it. Read @restofworld.org coverage
restofworld.org/2025/ai-data...
Governments welcomed data centers. Now they’re grappling with the fallout
The boom in AI data centers is colliding with weak power grids, soaring energy demand, and growing local pushback.
restofworld.org
December 19, 2025 at 4:52 PM
restofworld.org
Data centers contain servers and other equipment that need large amounts of power and give off intense heat. Cooling all that raises costs, strains the electricity grid, and adds to emissions.

So why do data centers keep being built in hot places?
https://restofworld.org/2025/data-center-heat-map/
We mapped the world’s hottest data centers
In 21 countries, all data centers are located in climates that are too hot.
restofworld.org
December 19, 2025 at 2:00 PM
restofworld.org
“What older adults fear is not death. ‘I’ve lived long enough,’ they tell us. What they fear the most is loneliness.”

AI robot dolls are helping South Korea’s seniors feel less alone
https://restofworld.org/2025/korea-ai-robot-senior-care-hyodol/
December 18, 2025 at 9:08 PM
restofworld.org
Classes taught over WhatsApp and Facebook groups are helping freelancers and small business owners learn basic AI skills

New: restofworld.org/2025/indian-...
Indian WhatsApp tutors are teaching ordinary people how to use AI
Informal classes over WhatsApp and Facebook groups are helping freelancers and business owners learn basic AI skills.
restofworld.org
December 18, 2025 at 4:01 PM
restofworld.org
Help us tell the global tech stories that matter
https://restofworld.org/donate/eoy-2025/
December 18, 2025 at 2:01 PM
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To protect the local textile industry, lawmakers in Latin America are getting on the anti-Shein bandwagon

New: restofworld.org/2025/anti-sh...
The “Anti-Shein” bandwagon gains momentum
Lawmakers from across Latin America are hardening import regulations for China-based ultrafast fashion, to shield the local textile industry.
restofworld.org
December 17, 2025 at 2:21 PM
restofworld.org
The fast-money pandemic era helped build billion-dollar startups around the world — then brought many down just as quickly. Will the AI boom be a repeat?

https://restofworld.org/2025/tiger-global-unicorn-investment-crash/
December 17, 2025 at 1:00 PM
restofworld.org
Find hot data centers near you
https://restofworld.org/2025/data-center-heat-map/
We mapped the world’s hottest data centers
In 21 countries, all data centers are located in climates that are too hot.
restofworld.org
December 16, 2025 at 7:00 PM
restofworld.org
When billion-dollar startups collapse, how much are investors to blame?

Read our new feature from @issielapowsky.bsky.social about Tiger Global’s risky business of chasing unicorns: restofworld.org/2025/tiger-g...
Big bets and broken unicorns: Tiger Global’s rise and reckoning
The fast-money pandemic era helped build billion-dollar startups around the world — then brought many down just as quickly. Will the AI boom be a repeat?
restofworld.org
December 16, 2025 at 2:55 PM
restofworld.org
The demand for AI and a push for data sovereignty mean that data centers are being built in some of the most inhospitable spots that need massive investments in cooling systems

https://restofworld.org/2025/data-center-heat-map/
December 15, 2025 at 4:30 PM
restofworld.org
The world’s data centers are being built in very hot places. We mapped them

New: https://restofworld.org/2025/data-center-heat-map/
We mapped the world’s hottest data centers
In 21 countries, all data centers are located in climates that are too hot.
restofworld.org
December 15, 2025 at 2:10 PM