Listen to Rest of World's best stories about the way technology is reshaping the globe. Narrated by our staff of writers and editors.
Nearly four billion internet users live outside the West. We're telling their stories, with in-depth, on-the-ground reporting on topics like Big Tech’s global influence, e-commerce, cryptocurrency, the struggles of the gig economy, and the rise of EVs.
How a Chinese battery factory sparked a political meltdown in a small Michigan town
The Chinese company Gotion's EV battery plan was the kind of big, ambitious, the U.S. economy — and the struggling small town of Big Rapids — needed. But that’s not how some locals saw it. In this narrated feature Rest of World explores how ambitious executives at Gotion wanted to join America’s EV gold rush, but were met with geopolitics in rural Michigan, USA.
Written by Viola Zhou. Narrated by Jane Seidel.
Original story: https://restofworld.org/2025/gotion-ev-battery-us-expansion-backlash-michigan/ (https://restofworld.org/2025/gotion-ev-battery-us-expansion-backlash-michigan/)
24 Jan 2025
The global struggle over how to regulate AI
Big AI companies like Google, Meta, OpenAI and Amazon, have come out hard against comprehensive regulatory efforts in the West — but are receiving a warm welcome from leaders in many other countries. This episode from Rest of World uses behind-the-scenes reporting from local journalists in India, South Africa, and Brazil, to give an in-depth look at the global struggle over how to regulate AI.
Written by Katie McQue, Laís Martins, Ananya Bhattacharya, and Carien du Plessis. Narrated by Jane ODonoghue.
Original story: https://restofworld.org/2025/global-ai-regulation-big-tech/ (https://restofworld.org/2025/global-ai-regulation-big-tech/)
12 Dec 2024
How WhatsApp ate the world
Meta's plans for WhatsApp's future are revealed, as Issie Lapowsky explores how the messaging app's 2 billion daily users have transformed global communication.
17 Oct 2024
WhatsApp vigilantes in India are converting Christians by force
In this episode, Rest of World explores how far-right Hindu nationalists use WhatsApp to target Christian families when they’re most vulnerable — by preventing them from burying their dead.
Written by Parth MN. Additional reporting by Durga M Sengupta. Narrated by Mithila Phadke.
Original story: https://restofworld.org/2024/whatsapp-intimidation-forced-conversion-targets-christians-india/ (https://restofworld.org/2024/whatsapp-intimidation-forced-conversion-targets-christians-india/)
19 Sept 2024
Destined for clicks: YouTube is driving an astrology boom in Pakistan
Amid economic, political, and environmental uncertainty, Pakistanis are increasingly seeking guidance from digital astrologers for a sense of reassurance. In this narrated feature, Rest of World profiles celebrity astrologers who are revitalizing the practice in one of the world’s most populous Muslim nations, using their growing platforms to advocate for astrology’s place in Islam.
Written by M. Z. Adnan. Narrated by Mithila Phadke.
Original story: https://restofworld.org/2024/youtube-astrology-stars-pakistan/ (https://restofworld.org/2024/youtube-astrology-stars-pakistan/)
1 Aug 2024
Can a church exist exclusively on the internet?
Amid a life of upheaval and poverty, Jeffter Wekesa tried and failed to found three churches in Kenya. Then he started preaching on TikTok, and his fortunes changed.
In this episode, Rest of World takes you inside the emerging virtual-preaching economy in internet-obsessed Kenya. Livestream churches — backed by viewer donations — are increasingly popular. Is this the future of religion, or just a post-Covid fad?
Written by Vincent Owino. Narrated by Jane Seidel.
Original story: https://restofworld.org/2024/kenya-virtual-churches-preachers/ (https://restofworld.org/2024/kenya-virtual-churches-preachers/)
12 Jul 2024
The AI artist who used Bad Bunny’s voice — and shot to fame
For years, Mauricio Bustos used his YouTube channel to try and break into the music industry. Then he discovered AI. Overnight, he could rap like Bad Bunny and sing like Justin Bieber. He went viral. Now, he’s at the forefront of a global debate: Is AI art really art?
Written by Charis McGowan. Narrated by Daniela Dib.
Original story: https://restofworld.org/2024/ai-song-flowgpt-bad-bunny/ (https://restofworld.org/2024/ai-song-flowgpt-bad-bunny/)
6 Jun 2024
Vigilantes for views: The YouTube pranksters harassing suspected scam callers in India
Los Angeles-based Trilogy Media took “scambaiting” to a new level, but some claim they’re gaining viral fame at others’ expense.
In this story from our archive, Rest of World, profiles the Trilogy Media YouTubers who travel from L.A. to India to harass call center scammers.
They release dozens of cockroaches in their office and secretly film the whole prank via hacked security cameras. Did they take things too far?
Written by Andrew Deck and Raksha Kumar. Narrated by Jane Seidel.
Original story: https://restofworld.org/2023/youtube-scam-call-vigilantes/ (https://restofworld.org/2023/youtube-scam-call-vigilantes/)
21 May 2024
The graying gig economy
The average age for delivery workers is 29 and the average age for ride-hailing drivers is 36, but many older individuals are turning to gig work, too.
Rest of World spoke to 52 workers above the age of 50 who ventured into gig work to keep up with rising living costs or because they cannot find employment elsewhere. As more and more workers transition to informal gig employment and populations age, the lack of social safety nets poses significant challenges.
Written by Laís Martins, Kimberly Mutandiro, Lam Le and Zuha Siddiqui. Narrated by Victoria Turk.
Original story: https://restofworld.org/2024/aging-global-gig-workers/ (https://restofworld.org/2024/aging-global-gig-workers/)
17 May 2024
Inside the BJP’s WhatsApp machine
As millions of Indians vote, there’s one platform most of them will turn to for information: WhatsApp. And no one controls the political narrative on WhatsApp like the BJP, the ruling party helmed by Prime Minister Modi.
In partnership with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and Digital Witness Lab, Rest of World spent several months in northern India to explore how the BJP turned its WhatsApp strategy into an election-winning machine. Just in Mandi, a tiny Indian town with a population of 26,000, party volunteers run a network of more than 400 WhatsApp groups. Our analysis of thousands of messages sent in these groups shows how India’s ruling party is able to maintain a sophisticated operation on WhatsApp, and optimize its political campaign on the platform far away from public scrutiny.
Written by Srishti Jaswal. Narrated by Mithila Phadke.
Original story: https://restofworld.org/2024/bjp-whatsapp-modi/ (https://restofworld.org/2024/bjp-whatsapp-modi/)
25 Apr 2024
Inside TSMC’s struggle to build a chip factory in the U.S. suburbs
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) was slated to open a plant in Phoenix, Arizona in 2024. It aimed to bring thousands of jobs, but the expansion hasn’t taken off.
In this story, Rest of World follows the experience of an American engineer, Bruce, as well as others employed by TSMC, and explores how missed deadlines and tension among Taiwanese and American coworkers are plaguing the chip giant’s Phoenix expansion.
Written by Viola Zhou. Narrated by Daniela Dib.
Original story: https://restofworld.org/2024/tsmc-arizona-expansion/ (https://restofworld.org/2024/tsmc-arizona-expansion/)
28 Mar 2024
The changing face of protest
Mass protests used to offer a degree of safety in numbers. Facial recognition technology changes the equation.
This story explores how thanks to new facial recognition technology, protesters’ safety in numbers is becoming a thing of the past. We take a look at three case studies — in Russia, India, and Iran — to show the proliferation of facial recognition as a tool to control and curtail protest.
Written by Darren Loucaides. Narrated by Jane Seidel.
Original story: https://restofworld.org/2024/facial-recognition-government-protest-surveillance/ (https://restofworld.org/2024/facial-recognition-government-protest-surveillance/)
14 Mar 2024
The rise and fall of Argentina’s celebrity crypto pastor
Generación Zoe’s Leonardo Cositorto was charged with fraud in Argentina in April 2022. His and staff arrests have users asking, “¿Qué pasó con generacion Zoe?”
In this feature from our archive, Rest of World visits Cositorto as he awaits trial in prison, we speak with some of his loyal followers and alleged victims, and chart the rise and fall of Generación Zoe, the “educational and resource-creating community for personal, professional, financial and spiritual development”. This is a tale of a celebrity salesman, stock-trading “robots,” and millions of lost dollars.
Written by Facundo Iglesia. Narrated by Daniela Dib.
Original story:https://restofworld.org/2023/generacion-zoe-leonardo-cositorto/ (https://restofworld.org/2023/generacion-zoe-leonardo-cositorto/)
29 Feb 2024
Riders in the smog
From toxic skies to health hazards: Rest of World measured air quality for riders in Lahore, New Delhi, and Dhaka. The results were devastating.
Pollution is worsening in South Asia’s major cities, but few occupations face more risk than gig riders. Many have no options for alternate work, and receive little help from employers. we spoke to 25 gig workers in Lahore, New Delhi, and Dhaka, all of whom reported symptoms that health experts believe are the consequence of routine exposure to carcinogenic pollutants.
Listen to our reporting to find out just how poisonous the air has become.
Written by Zuha Siddiqui, Samriddhi Sakunia and Faisal Mahmud. Narrated by Mithila Phadke.
Original story: https://restofworld.org/2024/riders-in-the-smog-gig-workers-pollution/ (https://restofworld.org/2024/riders-in-the-smog-gig-workers-pollution/)
15 Feb 2024
The fall of the King of Squirrels
In this feature from our archive, Rest of World follows the story of exotic animal trader as he capitalizes on Vietnam's growing digital connectivity — and Facebook’s negligence — to build an online wildlife trafficking empire, and the people trying to bring him down.
Written by Ashley Lampard. Narrated by Jane Seidel.
Original story: https://restofworld.org/2021/the-fall-of-the-king-of-squirrels/ (https://restofworld.org/2021/the-fall-of-the-king-of-squirrels/)
8 Feb 2024
Inside Foxconn’s struggle to manufacture iPhones in India
Foxconn is flying engineers from China to India to train the next generation of iPhone builders. But both the Chinese engineers and Indian assembly line workers describe a serious culture clash.
In this episode, Rest of World follows the development and expansion of a new iPhone factory in India, as Foxconn manufactures the iPhone 15 outside of China for the first time. We spoke with two dozen assembly line workers, technicians, engineers, and managers to get the inside story of how Foxconn achieved this feat.
Written by Viola Zhou and Nilesh Christopher. Narrated by Mithila Phadke.
Original Story: https://restofworld.org/2023/foxconn-india-iphone-factory/ (https://restofworld.org/2023/foxconn-india-iphone-factory/)
6 Feb 2024
When digital nomads come to town
What happens to cities when they become digital nomad hotspots?
In this narrated feature, Rest of World looks at how the remote work revolution is changing life in places like Medellín and Bali.
Written by Stephen Witt. Narrated by Victoria Turk.
Original story: https://restofworld.org/2023/digital-nomads-visa-pricing-out-locals/ (What happens to cities when they become digital nomad hotspots? In this narrated feature, Rest of World looks at how the remote work revolution is changing life in places like Medellín and Bali. Written by Stephen Witt. Narrated by Victoria Turk. Original story: https://restofworld.org/2023/digital-nomads-visa-pricing-out-locals/)
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
10 ratings
Spotify
4.8 / 5
35 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 37 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
46
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
71
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