Japan Reports 21 July 2022 For Japanese Uber delivery drivers, gig work is working Platform work has freed people from oppressive workplace culture. For now. By Kaoruko Ishibushi
Indonesia How To Buy 19 July 2022 How to buy a hijab in Jakarta Shariah-compliant e-commerce is a $160 million business in Indonesia, but compliance is no easy task. By Antonia Timmerman
Thailand News 17 July 2022 Pegasus used to spy on protesters, a popular actress, and dozens more in Thailand, report shows Forensic analysis by CitizenLab says government is the likeliest perpetrator. By Antonia Timmerman
Indonesia News 8 July 2022 How Asian super-app GoTo got tangled up in a government corruption probe "Nepotism," "collusion": a state-owned company is under scrutiny for its multimillion-dollar investment in the tech giant. By Antonia Timmerman
South Korea Reports 6 July 2022 Startups are rebelling against South Korea’s toxic work culture Young people are doubting the Korean dream – but the tech companies that offer them a way out might be in their own, progressive bubble. By Arian Khameneh
Singapore Ideas 29 June 2022 Singapore’s proposed online safety laws look like more censorship in disguise If the government appoints itself Guardian of the Internet, its citizens will never learn how to navigate a messy online world. By Kirsten Han
IndiaIndonesiaMexico Reports 27 June 2022 Tech-stock-alypse now: founders, workers, and investors on the global startup collapse Funding is drying up, and layoffs are skyrocketing: “There was no notice. There was an email in the morning and then a town hall.” By Leo Schwartz, Antonia Timmerman and Nilesh Christopher
Indonesia Reports 23 June 2022 As tech craters, founders find someone to blame: VCs And Jakarta's unfashionably slow-growing companies feel pretty good. By Antonia Timmerman
Vietnam Features 22 June 2022 To infinity and back: Inside Axie’s disastrous year Can the marquee crypto game Axie Infinity survive in-game turmoil and a record-breaking hack? By Darren Loucaides
Malaysia How To Buy 21 June 2022 How to buy a used car in Kuala Lumpur Content is king in Malaysia’s red-hot online used car market. By Megan Tatum
Vietnam News 9 June 2022 “Not worth it”: why Grab is shedding drivers and frustrating customers in Vietnam Rising fuel prices and inflation spark tension between drivers, passengers, and the super app. By Nhung Nguyen
South Korea Reports 6 June 2022 Fearing lawsuits, factories rush to replace humans with robots in South Korea The Serious Disasters Punishment Act was meant to be a triumph for workers' safety. Instead, it's spurring companies to erase staff. By Steven Borowiec
Indonesia News 31 May 2022 “Soonicorns” are laying off hundreds as investors fear a cash crunch High stakes for Jakarta’s tech scene: “Those who can stay alive are the ones who will win the market.” By Antonia Timmerman
Vietnam How To Buy 31 May 2022 How to buy baby formula in Quang Binh Many Vietnamese mothers don’t trust local suppliers of baby formula, so they turn to Facebook’s “carry on” stores, which import from abroad. By Lam Le
Indonesia Reports 18 May 2022 15-second shopping: TikTok’s e-commerce ambitions are rising As TikTok Shop expands across Southeast Asia, will users buy that it’s more than just entertainment? By Meaghan Tobin and Randy Mulyanto
Japan Ideas 12 May 2022 Japan once led global tech innovation. How did it fall so behind? For decades, the country's tech triumphs have disguised its seized-up digital systems. By Roland Kelts
ColombiaMyanmarSaudi Arabia Reports 6 May 2022 Where anonymity on Twitter is a matter of life or death Elon Musk’s desire to ‘authenticate all humans’ has users in countries like Myanmar and Saudi Arabia worried for their lives. By Andrew Deck, Emily Fishbein and Genevieve Glatsky
Myanmar Blackouts 26 April 2022 Internet blackouts are hiding an ongoing human rights catastrophe “The level of atrocities that have gone unspoken in Myanmar have been quite shocking.” By Nu Nu Lusan and Emily Fishbein
Philippines Blackouts 26 April 2022 “It’s like being under siege”: How DDoS became a censorship tool From the Philippines to Iran, constant distributed denial-of-service attacks are used to intimidate and wear down independent media. By Peter Guest
Indonesia News 24 March 2022 Inside GoTo’s high-stakes, very badly timed IPO Clouded by doubts, superapp giant extends bookbuild by three days. By Antonia Timmerman
Kazakhstan Reports 13 March 2022 “It’s a mess”: How crypto mining went from boom to bust in Kazakhstan Bitcoin fugitives from China made the country a crypto power. Now, they’re being forced to flee — again. By Naubet Bisenov and Meaghan Tobin
South Korea Reports 8 March 2022 Delivery apps’ obsession with star ratings is ruining lives In South Korea’s restaurant trade, consumer feedback has become an obsession: ‘4.6 is unacceptable, 5 seems too fake. The sweet spot is 4.9.’ By Max Kim
Hong Kong Reports 24 February 2022 Who’s really behind the Bible app going viral around the world? Christians are flocking to the King James Version Bible app, and the digital trail leads to a Hong Kong shopping district and a Beijing-based developer. By Andrew Deck
Philippines Reports 23 February 2022 As Axie Infinity falters, game guilds hunt for new targets In just a year, guilds boosting players into NFT games raised more than $80 million in Southeast Asia. By Antonia Timmerman and Vittoria Elliott
Indonesia Reports 10 February 2022 Massive “coffeetech” investments are giving startups a jolt In Southeast Asia, take coffee, combine with a dash of e-commerce, and have investors buzzing. By Antonia Timmerman
Kazakhstan News 26 January 2022 Kazakhstan’s protests vanished from view in an internet blackout. Now the race is on to gather digital evidence “There are always going to be ways for people to get data out.” By Naubet Bisenov and Peter Guest
IndonesiaPhilippinesSingaporeVietnam Lists 20 January 2022 Trolling, doxxing and false arrests: How governments are using tech to intimidate critics in Southeast Asia Five ways activists are being targeted in the region. By Antonia Timmerman
Philippines Reports 17 January 2022 These vending machines sell internet access five minutes at a time For many Filipinos, coins are the currency of the internet. By Ramon Royandoyan
Japan Reports 11 January 2022 Artists across Asia dream of becoming digital sticker millionaires A handful of designers have made their fortunes on the Line app, but now creators fear the market has become saturated. By Andrew Deck
Indonesia Reports 20 December 2021 Influencers have a new racket in Indonesia: investment advice Lax trading regulations mean that influencers can have a lucrative hustle recommending investments. By Antonia Timmerman and Meaghan Tobin
South Korea Reports 13 December 2021 In South Korea, Big Tech’s power struggle with regulators is way ahead of the U.S. Seoul is reining in tech giants Kakao and Naver to save small business — but it might be too little, too late. By Steven Borowiec
Myanmar News 9 December 2021 Lawyers behind Rohingya Facebook lawsuit call it a reckoning for regulating social media Tech companies in the U.S. have long been using Section 230 to argue they are not responsible for content published on their platforms. By Peter Guest
Indonesia Reports 2 December 2021 Grab and GoTo IPOs have one little problem: angry gig workers With Singapore and Indonesia's superapps finally in reach of U.S. listings, union trouble brews at home. By Antonia Timmerman
Indonesia Reports 29 November 2021 With just 75 cents and a smartphone, you can now trade crypto in Indonesia Crypto is booming on the archipelago. Its proponents aren’t who you’d think. By Meaghan Tobin and Adi Renaldi
Vietnam Reports 22 November 2021 Workers in Vietnam lived inside factories to keep Samsung’s products on shelves during the pandemic As Covid-19 threatened the tech supply chain, some companies, including Apple suppliers, went to extreme lengths to keep their products flowing. By Lam Le
Singapore Features 16 November 2021 Singapore’s tech-utopia dream is turning into a surveillance state nightmare In the “smart nation,” robot dogs enforce social distancing and flying taxis are just over the horizon. The reality is very different. By Peter Guest