The development was confirmed by the publication’s Deputy Editor, Rina Chandran, who said in a LinkedIn post on Monday that the newsroom would continue publishing through January while its leadership explored options for its future.

Chandran described her time at Rest of World as a privilege, reflecting on her work as Southeast Asia editor in Bangkok before moving to San Francisco to oversee coverage of how technology developed in Silicon Valley affects people around the world.

She also assured freelancers and columnists whose work had already been commissioned that their contributions would still be published. According to her, the publication’s existing journalism would be preserved and remain accessible.

The announcement follows a report by Semafor that founder and principal financial backer Sophie Schmidt had held discussions with several large institutions about potentially bringing the newsroom under their ownership or management.

According to Semafor, people familiar with the plans said the organisation had set a tentative wind-down date for late January to give employees time to seek other jobs and receive exit packages if the search for a new home failed. Schmidt also reportedly informed donors that the publication would stop operating as a standalone entity at the end of January.

The proposed closure follows a significant decline in traffic from search engines and social media platforms over the past 18 months. Reports indicate that the newsroom attempted to retain its audience by adjusting its coverage priorities and introducing a requirement for readers to register before accessing articles.

Founded in 2020, Rest of World set out to broaden technology journalism by documenting how digital platforms, artificial intelligence, online services and technology infrastructure affect people in regions often overlooked by mainstream Western media.

Schmidt pledged $60 million to support the project, which began as a nonprofit newsroom. Over the years, its reporting has examined technology’s influence on employment, business, public services and everyday life across emerging markets and other parts of the world.

The publication’s 2025 annual report said it reached more than 753,000 readers each month across its platforms and channels and reported from nearly 40 countries during the year. The figures highlight the reach it maintained even as its leadership faced growing challenges in attracting and retaining online audiences.

Rest of World’s possible closure also reflects wider pressures facing digital publishers as changes in search algorithms, social media distribution and online news consumption affect how readers discover journalism. The growing use of artificial intelligence tools to answer information queries has also raised concerns about whether publishers will continue receiving the same level of referral traffic.

For now, the newsroom’s future remains uncertain. If a suitable institutional partner is found, its reporting and archive could continue under a different arrangement. If negotiations fail, the publication is expected to cease operating independently at the end of January 2027.

Reporting by TalkNaijaMedia