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Donald Trump and a man in a red suit engage in conversation, surrounded by a group of smiling individuals in a crowd. — Getty Images/Rest of World

Silicon Valley keeps misreading China’s role in tech

The heads of Tesla, Apple, and Nvidia regard Chinese companies as peers, not enemies, unlike most other Silicon Valley founders.

A robotic arm holding a mechanical grabber is positioned above several blue thumbs-up symbols on a conveyor.

The Filipino virtual assistants behind LinkedIn’s “thought leadership” content mill

For $7 an hour, virtual assistants use AI tools to write LinkedIn posts and comments on behalf of Western executives.

By Michael Beltran

Support Our Global Journalism

Nearly four billion Internet users live outside the West, building and using tech products & platforms that most Americans have never heard of.

By Rest of World Staff

Different denominations of Indian currency notes arranged together, featuring portraits of Mahatma Gandhi and various security features.

Global Dispatch

India’s VCs are beating American investors at home

A decade after U.S. venture capital firms fueled India’s startup boom, local investors are now dominating deals.

By Itika Sharma Punit

A stylized radar graphic featuring an orange outline of Taiwan with circuit patterns on a dark blue background.

Taiwan’s chips power the global economy. China holds the leverage

Big Tech’s reliance on TSMC makes the China-Taiwan dispute the world’s most dangerous geopolitical flashpoint, says writer Eyck Freymann ahead of this week’s Xi-Trump meeting in Beijing.

By Rina Chandran

A whimsical blue house with a dragon playfully perched on top, surrounded by green trees and fluffy clouds. — Joanne Joo for Rest of World

The Chinese whiz kids of Silicon Valley

Chinese-born tech workers have fueled Silicon Valley for decades. In the AI era, they're superstars.

Gulf War >

A large oil pipeline supported by green pillars stretches over calm water, reflecting the structure and nearby palm trees.

Big Tech is moving data out of the Gulf through Iraqi oil pipelines

U.S. hyperscalers secure "dark fiber" capacity along Iraqi land route to reduce latency and provide a backup to vulnerable subsea cables.

By Indranil Ghosh

Silhouette of UAE skyline with a prominent tower, silhouetted buildings, and a triangular structure in the foreground. The image has a tone of orange and dark blue.

War in the Gulf could tilt the cloud race toward China

Strikes on U.S. data centers highlight the risks of concentration and the growing role of geopolitics in cloud competition.

A detailed model of a futuristic city layout, with people observing and discussing around it at an exhibition.

“Data embassies” and safeguarding digital assets during wartime

To avoid collateral damage, countries consider ditching giant server hubs for smaller, distributed ones—especially now that military and civilian data live side-by-side.

By Rina Chandran

Big Tech pushback >

Meta’s Oversight Board races to govern the AI surge

As generative AI explodes on social media, the board’s slow, human-led review model faces a breaking point.

By Ananya Bhattacharya

A colorful golden slot machine featuring cherries, bells, and 'BAR' symbols, surrounded by dice and coins.

Countries are outlawing online gambling ads. Meta is selling them anyway

A Rest of World analysis found Meta is disregarding local laws and the company’s own guidelines in at least 13 countries.

By Hazel Gandhi

An illustration showing a digitally altered image of people dancing at a ceremony in Brazil, tinted with purple, and people cutout in the center of the frame, pixelated in red and pink.

Indigenous creators are clashing with YouTube’s and Instagram’s sensitive content bans

Deep in the heartlands of Brazil, Indigenous creators are having to censor themselves to avoid getting banned on social platforms.

By Gabriel Daros

The AI Race >

Donald Trump and a man in a red suit engage in conversation, surrounded by a group of smiling individuals in a crowd.

Silicon Valley keeps misreading China’s role in tech

The heads of Tesla, Apple, and Nvidia regard Chinese companies as peers, not enemies, unlike most other Silicon Valley founders.

A robotic arm holding a mechanical grabber is positioned above several blue thumbs-up symbols on a conveyor.

The Filipino virtual assistants behind LinkedIn’s “thought leadership” content mill

For $7 an hour, virtual assistants use AI tools to write LinkedIn posts and comments on behalf of Western executives.

By Michael Beltran

A split image featuring Xi Jinping and Donald Trump against colorful backgrounds with circuit patterns.

What’s at stake for tech at the Trump-Xi meeting

U.S.-China summit to likely cover AI rivalry, chip exports, supply chain security, and the EV trade as leaders navigate intensifying geopolitical tensions.

By Viola Zhou and Kinling Lo

Features >

Deeply-reported long reads from around the globe

A construction site for a tall building stands in the distance, with dogs and parked cars along a quiet street. — Adriana Zehbrauskas for Rest of World

A Mexican surveillance giant you’ve never heard of is now watching the U.S. border

Grupo Seguritech quietly built a $1.27 billion surveillance empire. Now it's expanding into the U.S. and across Latin America.

By José Olivares

A graphic showing an elevator with people inside, surrounded by colorful, flowing lights and falling coins against a city skyline.

“This is unprecedented”: America’s AI boom is leaving the rest of the world behind

Tech leaders called AI a democratizing force. But it’s concentrating power and wealth in a handful of American companies.

By Issie Lapowsky

A framed portrait of a young man in a suit, placed on a table against an orange wall.

Death of an Indian tech worker

A wave of suicides and widespread AI-fueled layoffs reveal a workforce under extreme pressure.

EV Revolution >

A hand interacting with a touchscreen display in a car, showcasing various app icons and a car image on the screen.

The Chinese EV standard winning globally is banned in the U.S.

By banning Chinese software, the U.S. risks isolating its automakers from the integrated systems, standards, and partnerships shaping the global electric vehicle market.

By Indranil Ghosh

A vintage steam train travels along a winding track beside a rocky hillside, with smoke billowing from the engine.

An old railroad is key to U.S.-China race for critical metals in Africa

Washington is trying to use the Lobito Railway in Congo to break China’s hold on critical metals in Africa, writes Nicholas Niarchos in his new book, The Elements of Power.

By Nicolas Niarchos

Aerial view of cars lined up along a coastal area, with light trails representing movement over water.

EVs were meant to bypass oil. Now they’re stuck at the Strait of Hormuz

The war has blocked the only sea route for the high-grade, low-carbon aluminum EVs need. There's no quick substitute.

By Indranil Ghosh

The India Story >

A blue-toned illustration of a ball and chain, featuring a heavy ball attached to a metal chain and a broken shackle.

India’s tech sovereignty is built on digital dependence

In his new book, “Computing in the Age of Decolonization: India’s Lost Technological Revolution,” researcher Dwaipayan Banerjee argues that a focus on technical solutions has made the country dependent on big tech firms and failed to solve fundamental social problems.

By Dwaipayan Banerjee

Family deepfakes help people celebrate and grieve in India

There is growing demand for recreating dead and absent family members for events using AI.

By Hanan Zaffar and Jyoti Thakur

Students wearing headsets sit at computers in a classroom, engaged in learning activities, with a stylized blue pattern overlay.

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.

By Ananya Bhattacharya

China Outside China >

Silhouette of UAE skyline with a prominent tower, silhouetted buildings, and a triangular structure in the foreground. The image has a tone of orange and dark blue.

War in the Gulf could tilt the cloud race toward China

Strikes on U.S. data centers highlight the risks of concentration and the growing role of geopolitics in cloud competition.

A surveillance camera positioned near a globe highlighting Africa, set against a red background.

Africa pours $2 billion into controversial Chinese surveillance tech

A new study shows Chinese firms and banks are behind much of the continent’s AI-powered monitoring infrastructure.

By Ananya Bhattacharya

A humanoid robot with a sleek silver design performing a dance move against a purple-lit background.

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.

Editor's picks

2025

2024

2023

Prev

An artistic collage featuring three men's faces and a satellite dish, overlaid with text about Starlink terms and policies.

After Musk joined Trump, countries rolled out the red carpet for Starlink

Newly revealed contract between Starlink and Bangladesh shows how these deals are made.

December 3, 2025

When the world connected on Skype

Rest of World readers remember how Skype changed their world

April 22, 2025

Two figures in traditional clothing are building a structure with bricks while looking toward a large, expressive moon figure in the background. The scene is set against a blue sky filled with stars and moon phases, with additional decorative elements surrounding the border. A telescope is present, suggesting a connection to astronomy.

Digital Divinity

Where ancient traditions meet modern technology

September 30, 2024

🏆 Society for News Design

A collage of images taken from a group on WhatsApp, showing a man holding a candle against a purple background. The images are set against a green background used on WhatsApp.

Inside the BJP's WhatsApp Machine

How India’s ruling party uses the app to campaign free from public scrutiny

May 14, 2024

A black and white illustration with aqua highlights showing a large protest being surveilled by CCTV cameras and a drone.

The changing face of protest

Mass protests used to offer safety in numbers. Facial recognition technology changes the equation

March 27, 2024

🏆 Society for News Design

A photo of a man sitting on a motorbike on a busy street in Lahore, Pakistan.

Riders in the Smog

After equipping gig riders across South Asia with pollution monitors, the readings were off the charts

February 27, 2024

An illustration showing emoji characters sitting on a blue text bubble laughing hysterically.

How different languages laugh online

Laughter is universal, but lol is not

December 18, 2023

🏆 National Magazine Award

A photo showing a cluster of Shein shipping bags laid out on a yellow background.

China, the World's Shopping Cart

E-commerce platforms like Shein and Temu are going global with big ambitions

November 14, 2023

🏆 National Magazine Award

A photo collage showing a grid of square images with portraits of people, exteriors of buildings, city streets, and plates of food.

How AI is reducing the World to Stereotypes

3,000 AI images analyzed to show how image generators see cultures

October 10, 2023

🏆 Online Journalism Award

40 Companies Beating the West

Faster, smarter, more adaptable: The emerging market pioneers outmaneuvering Silicon Valley

October 5, 2023

🏆 National Magazine Award

A photo of a woman with red hair drinking from a cup with a straw while seated at a computer in an internet cafe.

Inside the World's last internet cafes

Documenting them before they vanish

July 25, 2023

Welcome to the Ambaniverse

It's Mukesh Ambani's world — we're just living in it

November 15, 2022

🏆 Society for News Design

Chinese citizens use puns to get past internet censors

Chinese social media companies and users are locked in a never-ending battle

October 11, 2022

🏆 Society for News Design

How to Buy

E-commerce isn't the same around the globe

May 31, 2022

In the dark

60 countries, 935 internet shutdowns: How authoritarian regimes found an off switch for dissent

April 26, 2022

🏆 Society for News Design

The Global Gig Workers

The platform work model is reshaping entire economies, sectors, lifestyles, and livelihoods

September 21, 2021

Tech Giants >

A close up photograph showing a person holding a mobile phone in their hand and about to tap on it with their left hand.

Who’s actually using Threads? Young protesters in Taiwan

Despite Meta’s promise to crack down on political content in the app, Taiwanese activists are using it to organize.

Pese a prohibición, apps de préstamos depredadoras proliferan en la tienda de Google Play

Google dice que se toma el problema muy en serio, pero más de una docena de apps continúa disponible en la tienda.

By Daniela Dib and Matheus Andrade

A photo showing men scattered at a road intersection with their hands raised in their air, their faces covered with helmets and scarves.

Kenya’s biggest protest in recent history played out on a walkie-talkie app

More than 40,000 Kenyans have downloaded Zello since protests began against the government’s plan to raise taxes.

By Stephanie Wangari

Innovation >

A smiling man in a dark suit and tie, speaking at an event with a colorful background behind him.

How TikTok cozied up to wealthy investors in Saudi Arabia and the UAE

In her new book, Every Screen on the Planet: The War Over TikTok, journalist Emily Baker-White charts the Chinese app’s rise to becoming a global juggernaut. Here is an excerpt on the company’s courtship of the Gulf nations ahead of a deal on its U.S. operations.

By Emily Baker-White

An illustration of a human head silhouette with a smartphone above it, casting a light beam. A small figure is climbing a ladder towards the phone, against a gradient background of blue and purple tones.

Mexico is using an AI-powered app to prevent suicides

MeMind has connected 10,000 at-risk people with mental health treatment, contributing to a 9% drop in suicides.

By Lillian Perlmutter

Fed up with ChatGPT, Latin America is building its own

Dozens of organizations in the region have partnered to develop a large language model that better understands Latin America’s cultural and linguistic nuances.

By Cristián Vera-Cruz

Charts

A view of Rest of World through all our charts and graphics.

Explore charts >

Most active investors in the Indian tech ecosystem in 2025-26

Most active investors in the Indian tech ecosystem in 2025-26

Most active investors in the Indian tech ecosystem in 2025-26
Tech investments promised by Indian firms in the U.S.
Global EV market share in 2025
Days from vulnerability to exploitation
U.S. Vinyl Revenue
South Korea's top e-commerce platforms by market share
Coupang's stock price after its data breach disclosure
The workforce of major Chinese tech firms has been shrinking
China, Southeast Asia are most excited about AI
Where World's iris scanning orbs are currently available
E-waste generation and collection around the world
Reasons why edtech startups died

South Asia >

Different denominations of Indian currency notes arranged together, featuring portraits of Mahatma Gandhi and various security features.

India’s VCs are beating American investors at home

Motorola’s India lawsuit could make platforms police speech faster

How the vinyl revival fills the gaps streaming left behind

China >

Donald Trump and a man in a red suit engage in conversation, surrounded by a group of smiling individuals in a crowd.

Silicon Valley keeps misreading China’s role in tech

What’s at stake for tech at the Trump-Xi meeting

Taiwan’s chips power the global economy. China holds the leverage

Africa >

A digitally altered notice from the South African Department of Communications regarding a draft national AI policy.

Five times AI hallucinations embarrassed governments

An old railroad is key to U.S.-China race for critical metals in Africa

Humanitarian aid turns to AI as crises outpace capacity

Latin America >

The Mexican security company with a $1.27 billion surveillance empire

Voice actors fight to save their livelihoods and local cultures from Hollywood’s AI push

A Mexican surveillance giant you’ve never heard of is now watching the U.S. border

Asia >

A robotic arm holding a mechanical grabber is positioned above several blue thumbs-up symbols on a conveyor.

The Filipino virtual assistants behind LinkedIn’s “thought leadership” content mill

Some Taiwanese drone math ahead of the Xi-Trump visit

The global cybersecurity gap deepens as AI-powered attacks surge

Eastern Europe >

Temu’s global rise runs into a regulatory wall

When war destroys the internet economy

China’s $143 billion push to dominate the global EV industry

Middle East & North Africa >

A large oil pipeline supported by green pillars stretches over calm water, reflecting the structure and nearby palm trees.

Big Tech is moving data out of the Gulf through Iraqi oil pipelines

Deadly deepfakes: A survival guide for the age of algorithmic war

War in the Gulf could tilt the cloud race toward China