Rest of World to Stop Publishing in 2027
The nonprofit Global South technology publication will cease operations at the end of January 2027, according to a message to donors.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Media
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Rest of World, a nonprofit publication covering Global South technology stories since launching in 2020, will stop publishing at the end of January 2027. Sophie Schmidt, director at the Schmidt Family Foundation, emailed donors stating the outlet would cease as a standalone entity.
Why it matters
Rest of World shifted toward an American readership after traffic dropped in 2025, a change tied to the move toward short videos and a rightwing political cultural shift in the tech landscape. The closure leaves the Global South technology coverage it was founded to provide without a dedicated outlet.
Rest of World received $200,000 from the Ford Foundation in March 2023 and $100,000 from the Henry Luce Foundation in November 2023, following $60 million in initial backing from founder Sophie Schmidt. Whether any institution will absorb the publication, and on what terms, remains unconfirmed.
The players
Sophie Schmidt
Sophie Schmidt is the director of the Schmidt Family Foundation and the daughter of former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, and she initially backed Rest of World with $60 million of her own funds.
Rest of World
Rest of World is a nonprofit publication that opened in 2020 to cover technology stories from the Global South.
The details
Sophie Schmidt emailed donors to announce the closure, and insiders say she has held conversations with several large institutions about potentially absorbing the outlet. The publication, which first opened in 2020, had covered Global South technology before its traffic fell in 2025.
Timeline
2020: Rest of World first opened.
March 2023: Ford Foundation granted $200,000 to the publication.
November 2023: Henry Luce Foundation granted $100,000.
2025: Traffic dropped, prompting a shift toward an American readership.
End of January 2027: Rest of World stops publishing.
Market Landscape
Rest of World's readership shift and closure reflect a broader pressure on niche international tech publications as audiences move toward short video formats. The outlet's trajectory shows how donor-funded, specialized journalism struggles when traffic and institutional support decline at the same time.
Readers who relied on Rest of World for Global South technology coverage will lose that source when it stops publishing at the end of January 2027. Those interested in similar reporting may need to look to other outlets or institutions if one absorbs the publication.
The takeaway
Specialized international journalism depends heavily on sustained funding and audience reach, and the loss of one dedicated outlet narrows the range of coverage available on Global South technology.
Further reading
Explore more coverage in the Media section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Alliance magazine.
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