Online tech news platform Rest of World to close operations

Rest of World, an international nonprofit digital publication known for reporting on technology and its impact on communities, is preparing to end its operations as an independent organisation in January 2027, as its leadership searches for a new institutional home.

The publication’s Deputy Editor, Rina Chandran, confirmed the development in a LinkedIn post on Monday, saying the newsroom would continue publishing until the end of January while efforts to find a new home continued.

“Yes, it’s true: Rest of World is shutting down. After six years of award-winning reporting, our leadership is searching for a new home for the publication that was launched to cover innovation outside the West,” Chandran wrote.

She described her time at the publication as a privilege, recalling her work as Southeast Asia editor in Bangkok before moving to San Francisco, where she became a deputy editor covering how technology developed in Silicon Valley affects people elsewhere.

“Along the way, I’ve worked with dozens of freelancers, columnists and our own brilliant reporters and editors and loved every minute of it,” she added.

Chandran also reassured contributors that work already commissioned would still be published, while the publication’s existing journalism would be preserved and remain accessible.

“If you are a freelancer or columnist who has already been commissioned, you’re good! Your work will be preserved and continue to be accessible,” she wrote, thanking readers, donors and supporters for their involvement.

The announcement follows a report by News platform, Semafor, on Sunday that the publication’s founder and principal financial backer, Sophie Schmidt, had held discussions with several large institutions about potentially absorbing the newsroom.

According to Semafor, two people familiar with the plans said a wind-down date had been set for late January to allow employees to receive exit packages and seek new jobs if the search for a new institutional home proved unsuccessful. Schmidt also told donors, according to the report, that the publication would cease publishing as a standalone entity at the end of January.

The proposed shutdown follows a sharp decline in web search and social media referral traffic over the past 18 months, despite efforts to retain readers, including a greater focus on Western audiences and a requirement for visitors to register before accessing articles, the publication said.

Founded in 2020, Rest of World set out to challenge the Western-centric focus of technology journalism by documenting how digital products, platforms and infrastructure affect people in emerging markets and other regions often overlooked by mainstream US media.

Schmidt pledged $60m to the project, which was initially established as a nonprofit newsroom. Its reporting has covered subjects ranging from technology-driven changes in labour markets to digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence and the influence of major technology companies.

In its 2025 annual report, the publication reported reaching more than 753,000 readers monthly across platforms and channels, with reporting spanning nearly 40 countries during the year.

The report also highlighted its work examining how technology affects communities and economies beyond traditional Western technology centres.