In 2024, Rest of World covered some of the biggest shifts in the tech industry that have changed lives around the world: the rise of AI, Chinese companies expanding overseas, the widespread adoption of EVs, the evolving creator economy, more startups becoming regional champions, and growing scrutiny of the activities of Silicon Valley tech giants around the world.
Our reporters have spoken with people who experienced these changes firsthand. They started businesses, took on new majors, and moved across the Pacific to seek better prospects in the tech industry. Here are some of their stories in their own words.
Editor’s note: Profiles have been condensed and edited for clarity.
Drop-shipping made my struggling e-commerce business profitable
Saba Mika in Johannesburg, South Africa
Mika, 36, is a drop-shipper: an online retailer who doesn’t keep any products in stock; he orders products only after customers indicate interest.
I have been in the drop-shipping business for over two years. I’m a marketing graduate from the University of Lilongwe in Malawi and moved to South Africa in 2018. After years of futile searching for a job, I started selling clothes. Before I discovered drop-shipping to directly source goods online from China, I used to resell shoes and clothes from local shops.
With local reselling, the margin was small, and I ran at a loss most of the time. I was on Facebook one day when I noticed that one of my friends was posting goods he didn’t have. He had no store and wasn’t in the fashion business, so I asked him about it. He was the one who first told me about drop-shipping and explained how he didn’t invest any capital in the business, and all he needed to do was post and wait for people to order. So I learned from him, connected with suppliers, and then started posting on Facebook Marketplace.
I now spend hours on e-commerce websites like AliExpress, DHgate, and WeChat every day, looking for the most lucrative fashion products, like shoes, bags, and clothes, to sell. I make screenshots and share them on Facebook and WhatsApp. I then go ahead to order them once my customers express interest. In a good month, I make 20,000 rand ($1,074).
Drop-shipping has changed my life because I don’t have to rely on local suppliers. I do everything online, both buying and selling. This business has helped me build savings, and, once I have enough, I will move back to Malawi to establish myself.
TikTok’s expanding shopping feature gave me a new career in America
Yan Guanghua in Los Angeles, USA
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Yvaine Ye for Rest of World
Yan, 26, is a live-shopping specialist from China. She moved to Los Angeles in mid-2023 to capitalize on the expansion of TikTok Shop.
I used to be an English-language teacher in Chongqing, China. After witnessing the rise of live shopping in China, I thought I could use my language skills to sell products to overseas consumers. At first, I livestreamed from China. In 2023, I moved to Los Angeles, where many TikTok Shop operators are based. I wanted to be closer to the consumers.
Chinese livestreamers know what strategy works, but we tend to struggle with American cultural references. In China, for example, we tell people how some clothes make you look thin and pale, but, here, people want to look curvy and tanned. And if someone is selling snow boots, they need to be able to say if it suits the weather in New York or Michigan. Living in America has helped me understand these things.
Over the past year, I have been running livestream shopping shows on TikTok, selling clothes, electronics, and home appliances. The growth of TikTok Shop is not as fast as expected. Most Americans are not used to livestream shopping, or only want bargain goods. But I think there’s still a lot of potential. We usually sell about $10,000 worth of products in a five-to-six-hour session.
I really enjoy being a livestreamer. I like the process of writing scripts for every product, practicing my delivery, and using my emotions to impress the audience. My dream is to become the Austin Li [a top Chinese livestreaming salesperson] of America.
Driving an EV taxi has improved my earnings
Dau Hoang Ha in Hanoi, Vietnam
Ha, 33, began driving for Xanh SM in March after seeing the taxi company’s rapid expansion barely a year after its launch. Xanh SM is Vietnam’s first all-electric taxi service.
I used to be a technician at an industrial sewing machine supplier. But after Covid-19, the company wasn’t doing well, and my salary couldn’t cover my living expenses in Hanoi. I decided to talk to some Xanh drivers and heard the pay was good. That’s when I decided to become an app-based taxi driver. Another draw was the low cost of the vehicle and expenses. We don’t have to buy the car; we just need to pay a deposit of 8 million dong ($315). Also, Xanh’s marketing is very good. It’s better to work for a company that has a lot of customers.
I drive 12–13 hours a day. We have a base salary that provides us with the basis to get social insurance, plus commissions for each ride. The commission increases as we reach higher revenue thresholds, which motivates me to work harder.
EVs are perfect for taxi service because daily operating expenses are very cheap. Charging EVs is cheaper compared to gas-powered cars by about a third. Xanh SM offers us drivers an unlimited charging subscription for 2.7 million dong ($106) a month.
I don’t think EVs in Vietnam are part of the near future yet for all kinds of drivers. For widespread adoption, you need better infrastructure. You also need more brands to compete. In Vietnam, some companies are just entering, but because they don’t have a good charging network, it’s very hard for them to compete. If you want to see what the future could be like, look at China.
AI tools made me a better teacher
Alou Dembele in Bamako, Mali
Dembele, 27, uses AI to promote learning in Malian local languages in schools, following the expulsion of French as the country’s official language. Dembele is also an engineer.
I’m a volunteer teacher. I spend my afternoons reading storybooks with children in the courtyard of a community school here in Bamako, Mali’s capital city. I’m part of RobotsMali, an initiative that uses AI to create learning materials in local languages.
RobotsMali started creating books in Bambara, Mali’s most spoken local language, in 2023. We use ChatGPT to generate stories in French and then translate them into Bambara using Google Translate. The team then carefully selects locally relevant images to accompany the stories using Playground, an AI image-generator tool. We make sure to avoid prompts that give Eurocentric results or stereotypical depictions of Africans during the book production process.
After production, the books are distributed to schools across Bamako. Artificial intelligence has changed my life, both professionally and personally. It’s become a major transformative tool in my daily work, such as by applying it to performance evaluations. As a teacher, the books we create with AI help me personalize learning for my students. I can track individual progress, identify strengths and weaknesses, and tailor my courses to meet each student’s individual needs. While AI doesn’t replace what I’m supposed to be doing as a teacher, it saves me an enormous amount of time.
The semiconductor boom brought me to Taiwan
Hans Juliano in Hsinchu, Taiwan
Juliano, 24, is an Indonesian final-year student at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University in Taiwan. He is part of the growing number of people from Southeast Asia coming to Taiwan to study and work in the semiconductor industry.
In Indonesia, we don’t have a semiconductor industry, nor, to my knowledge, higher-education opportunities for students wanting to focus on semiconductor research. My undergraduate degree was in mechanical engineering. However, I became interested in semiconductors when I met my mentor, who had completed his Ph.D. in Taiwan.
Taiwan has a shortage of workers, and demand for semiconductor engineers is quite high. Recently, they are inviting a lot of Southeast Asian students to come to study semiconductors, maybe because we are really hardworking. We want to learn new things. For example, if we cannot speak Chinese, then we will learn Chinese.
I chose my university in Hsinchu because a lot of semiconductor companies are headquartered in Hsinchu, including TSMC. Most of my classes are taught in English. My research work is in semiconductor memory devices. I really enjoy it.
Twice a year, companies come to our school to recruit. They’re always hiring. Micron has a collaboration with our school, offering a course for international students on how to navigate working in a Chinese-speaking industry.
My job application process went smoothly. In April, I got an offer from Micron. So after I graduate, I will start work there. They offered us a pretty good salary and bonus. I am happy and grateful I secured a job before finishing my degree.
Crackdown on e-commerce shipments from China gave me a business opportunity
Eason Lin in New York City, USA
Lin, 28, is a Chinese immigrant in New York. In 2024, he opened a mini fulfillment center in his living room to help cross-border sellers in China ship packages to American consumers.
When I first came to America, I worked as a server at Chinese restaurants. The hours were long, and I couldn’t make much money. This year, I started a cross-border logistics business. E-commerce sellers in China bulk-ship me hundreds of packages to my living room. When consumers place orders on Temu, TikTok, or other shopping sites, I take the parcels to a nearby postal office in my backpack or on a trolley.
The biggest advantage of shipping from local warehouses is shorter delivery times. The slowing economic growth in China is pushing more people to get into cross-border e-commerce. This trend will bring good business to both big and small warehouses in America.
People who just started doing e-commerce sometimes couldn’t afford commercial warehouses because of their low sales volume. “Family warehouses” are run by individuals at home. They are cheaper and easier to communicate with.
Right now, my revenue doesn’t quite cover my $950 rent, but I see potential for growth as I get more clients. I’m currently looking to rent a bigger warehouse, so I can handle larger goods, like furniture and auto parts.
