Sophie Schmidt is the Founder and Publisher of Rest of World, an award-winning non-profit journalism organization focused on the impact of technology in the non-western world. Since launching in 2020, Rest of World has published thousands of stories from over 100 countries, filling a critical information gap with rigorous and accessible tech journalism. Working with reporters and photographers to produce immersive storytelling, Rest of World reaches a global audience of several million readers. Schmidt began her career in the Middle East with Afghanistan’s MOBY Media Group and subsequently worked in technology and politics in the UK, China, United Arab Emirates, South Africa and Myanmar. Before founding Rest of World in 2018, she held public policy and communications roles at Uber, in its San Francisco HQ and European offices. She has spent extensive time outside the West, including as part of technology delegations to North Korea, South Sudan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

Schmidt earned an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School. She holds a BA in Islamic Studies from Princeton University.