Tech News Outlet Rest of World Faces Shutdown After 6 Years

Rest of World, a nonprofit technology news outlet established by Sophie Schmidt six years ago, is set to shut down its operations in January unless it secures a new publisher. The publication, which specializes in reporting on technology's impact outside Western countries, has seen a significant drop in website traffic over the past year and a half, as reported by Semafor.

Schmidt, the daughter of former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, has been seeking potential partnerships to keep the outlet afloat. The impending closure is significant due to the outlet's financial support and its mission to cover technology stories often neglected by major U.S. news organizations. In 2020, Schmidt outlined Rest of World's mission to document how technology is transforming daily life in regions that receive less coverage from Western news outlets.

Six years later, Schmidt informed donors that the publication would cease publishing independently by the end of January. Semafor reported that the outlet has planned a gradual shutdown to ensure employees receive exit packages if they fail to find a new home. Rest of World's deputy editor, Rina Chandran, confirmed the closure in a LinkedIn post, stating that the newsroom would continue publishing until the end of January while leadership searches for a new location.

Chandran assured freelancers and columnists that any commissioned work would remain accessible. The potential shutdown occurs as news publishers grapple with declining traffic from search engines and social media platforms, alongside the rise of AI tools that provide information without directing users to news websites. Rest of World's leadership had tried to improve reader engagement by adjusting content and requiring users to register, but traffic continued to decline. The outlet did not immediately respond to TheWrap's request for comment.