Stability AI’s plan to counter AI’s Silicon Valley’s bias

“It’d be dystopian if all AI systems had the values of a 35-year-old male in San Francisco.” | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 year ago

The man leading Kenyan content moderators’ battle against Meta

Nathan Nkunzimana claims Meta and Sama fired content moderators for protesting working conditions and demanding the right to unionize. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 year ago

Why Nigerian filmmakers are skipping Netflix to go straight to YouTube

Filmmakers say YouTube prevents piracy and is more accessible than Netflix, Prime Video, and Showmax. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 year ago

Forget Quibi. Chinese streamers are hooking Americans with werewolf love triangles

Billionaire werewolf love triangles, that is. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 year ago

Casualties of the Chip War

The biggest threat to Nvidia isn’t coming from China | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 year ago

Influencers are getting young Nigerians hooked on online gambling

While sports betting is legal in Nigeria, experts say the government should have more oversight on the influencer culture. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 year ago

The man fighting against online hate speech in India

With general elections around the corner, Raqib Hameed Naik’s digital hate speech database Hindutva Watch has its work cut out. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 year ago

How Mexican politicians piggybacked on Taylor Swift and BTS to become popular online

Advised by TikTokers and digital strategists, politicians in the country have tried to use the artists’ Mexican fandoms to their advantage. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 year ago

Unleash the bololô: Masses of delivery workers set off horns and fireworks at bad customers’ homes

To punish nasty customers, workers protest with bikes, horns and fireworks. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 year ago

Recall-plagued EV maker VinFast is betting big on a new US factory

In North Carolina, the company will have to contend with cultural differences and lively labor politics. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 year ago

Why Samsung factory workers in Vietnam are becoming beauticians

Female workers at Samsung are frequently replaced when they hit 35. So they train to work in the informal beauty industry for “stability and flexibility.” | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 year ago

As gas prices skyrocket, Nigerian delivery riders are switching to EVs

Food delivery workers say they have saved up to 60% on gas and maintenance costs by switching to e-bikes. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 year ago

The war in Gaza is reshaping moderation rules

A new wave of appeals to Meta’s Oversight Board could have far-reaching consequences. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 year ago

Running a food-delivery service in Nigeria is hard; Chowdeck makes it look easy

Bolt, Glovo, and Jumia struggle with long delivery times, but this Y Combinator-backed startup has impressive tech and rider incentives on its side. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 year ago

Inside Foxconn’s struggle to make iPhones in India

Chinese engineers are flying to India to train the next generation of iPhone builders. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 year ago

Building an app that uses AI to interpret dreams

Pandemic isolation inspired Coco Chen to work on the spiritual health platform Dreamore. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 year ago

Sri Lanka tech workers demand pay in dollars or euros after rupee crashes

Entrepreneurs say local talent is too expensive and are outsourcing to countries like Peru. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 year ago

Need for speed: This Johannesburg driver delivers anything in 15 minutes

The grocery delivery industry in South Africa is flooded. To get more orders, Mkhululi Siziba has increased his delivery speed and taken an extra gig. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 year ago

In Brazil, the president has a big plan to regulate gig work

Brazil’s president promised an ambitious plan to regulate gig work. Experts fear the new rules make things worse. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 year ago

The end of anonymity on Chinese social media

Forced to use real names on platforms like Weibo, Chinese influencers quit social media instead. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 year ago

The Mexican senator building a plan for artificial intelligence

Alejandra Lagunes leads Mexico’s National Artificial Intelligence Alliance. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 year ago

Uber slashes fees in Bangladesh as drivers keep taking rides offline

Bangladeshi drivers simply started bypassing Uber and Pathao apps, and the companies took notice and made changes. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 year ago

When Silicon Valley investors try their luck abroad

There are lots of good bets outside the U.S. We just need to get better at finding them. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 year ago

How China took over the world’s online shopping carts

Chinese e-commerce platforms like Shein, Temu, and TikTok Shop are going global with big ambitions. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 year ago

At home with Asia’s shopping influencers

In Vietnam, Pakistan, and Indonesia, three livestreamers build well-paid but precarious careers. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 year ago

How Chinese e-commerce fuels counterfeit fashion in Nigeria

“Fake originals” make their way from sites like AliExpress and DHgate to a market in Lagos. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 year ago

Cricket, influencers, layoffs: Alibaba’s risky bet in Pakistan

Since its acquisition by the Chinese giant, e-commerce site Daraz has been experimenting to reach new buyers amid an economic crisis. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 year ago

This startup is cashing in on the e-waste from India’s EV revolution

RecycleKaro takes lithium ion battery waste and turns it into cobalt, nickel, and manganese. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 year ago

What is this thing? Guess Temu’s weirdest gadgets

Chinese e-commerce site Temu uses its most bizarre products in online ads. Rest of World tested them so you don’t have to. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 year ago

Moped taxi drivers want to ditch EVs and get their motorcycles back

Gojek, Grab, and inDrive want to have more EVs on the road, but most bike-taxis aren’t fit to transport commuters. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 year ago

Why Meta still needs China

You can take Facebook out of China, but you can’t take China out of Facebook. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 2 years ago

Apple should tell Indians what it knows about politicians’ phones being hacked

The Silicon Valley giant’s muted public response after several Indian opposition leaders received a message that their devices may be compromised is doing more harm. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 2 years ago

How regulation and consumer behavior drives fintech growth in Africa

Wiza Jalakasi, Ebanx’s director of Africa market development, discusses the opportunities in African fintech. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 2 years ago

Driver by day, TikTok star by night: The Vietnamese gig worker living a double life

“If driving wasn’t my source for TikTok videos, I wouldn’t drive.” | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 2 years ago

The chilling power of Gaza’s internet blackout

Ongoing bloodshed makes the territory’s digital ties even more important. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 2 years ago

When Nigeria banned Twitter, Koo had a golden opportunity, and squandered it

Even the government officials who championed the Twitter competitor have stopped using it. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 2 years ago

Investors are unsettled as funding is drying up for Africa’s startup ecosystem

As funding to Africa’s once fast-growing startup ecosystem dries up, industry insiders are worried that the ecosystem is unprepared. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 2 years ago

The startup working to teach AI about African history

There’s less historical material about Africa for AI to find online. Archivi.ng believes its work will change that. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 2 years ago

AI Modi started as a joke, but it could win him votes

While AI Modi crooning to popular songs on Instagram has brought laughter to audiences, there’s a larger application of such AI-generated content in India. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 2 years ago

Gig drivers in South Africa clash over Bolt’s low-priced Indian cars

Bolt introduced the cars to bring down fares. Now, other drivers see them as a threat. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 2 years ago

The app that revolutionized money transfers in Nigeria

OPay uses technology that doesn’t rely on the traditional banking system. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 2 years ago

Cosmetics resale in Brazil: The Uber driver running a beauty store from his car

This gig driver’s car is a shop on wheels, and every passenger is a potential customer. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 2 years ago

An Indian edtech that helps students live out their study-abroad dreams

Leverage Edu, which has raised $70 million, is among the few profitable edtech companies in the country. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 2 years ago

China’s biggest gay dating app wants to beat Grindr

Facing censorship and competition at home, Blued has plans to build the world’s largest gay social platform. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 2 years ago

Livestream shopping keeps failing in India. Amazon thinks it has the answer

Most startups that tried to popularize livestream commerce in the country are struggling. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 2 years ago

The trials of gig work are inspiring a new genre of hit songs

Rappers, singers, and ordinary gig workers are writing songs about delivery life — and scoring viral hits. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 2 years ago

What do platforms actually want out of elections?

Nobody seems to know. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 2 years ago

African streaming services are struggling to compete with Netflix and Prime Video

The appetite for video streaming is growing in Africa, but local services are struggling for content. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 2 years ago