Long Reads

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/

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/

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/

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/

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/

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/

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/