Good morning. It’s Thursday, April 30. Today we are covering:
Microsoft, Meta, and Alphabet each raised AI capital expenditure guidance but only one managed to convince investors
OpenAI’s Codex system prompt bans all discussion of goblins and tells the model to act as if it has a “vivid inner life”
Meta quietly re-entered crypto with stablecoin payouts for creators in Colombia and the Philippines
1X Technologies opens a US factory to manufacture 10,000 humanoid home robots this year
Satellite connectivity on track to reach 46% of global smartphone shipments by 2030
Let’s dive in
By Amanda Gerut via Fortune
Microsoft, Meta, and Alphabet all reported earnings on the same night, each raising AI capital expenditure guidance and citing memory chip scarcity as the key driver behind increased spending.
Only Alphabet convinced the market: Google Cloud grew 63% year-over-year to $20 billion, sending shares up 7% after hours while Meta fell more than 6% after its CEO signaled spending would rise to between $125B and $145B with no clear near-term return metric.
The simultaneous reporting created a rare side-by-side comparison that exposed a growing divide among the biggest AI spenders: scale of investment no longer guarantees investor confidence.
𝕏: Today’s tech earnings are meaningless. An F5 AI tornado is about to touch down and investors are fixated on next quarter guidance, margin noise, and CapEx timing - Chris Camillo (@ChrisCamillo)
OpenAI Codex System Prompt Includes Explicit Directive to “Never Talk About Goblins”
By Kyle Orland via Ars Technica
OpenAI’s Codex coding agent runs on a hidden system prompt that explicitly prohibits any discussion of goblins and instructs the model to behave as if it has a “vivid inner life.”
The leaked instructions reveal how AI companies use invisible directives to shape model behavior in ways users cannot see or verify.
The story went viral because it combines the credibility of OpenAI with a completely absurd detail, making it one of the most shareable AI stories of the year.
𝕏: Mr. Altman, explain to ordinary Americans why your company recently published a report titled—and I quote—“Where the goblins came from” - Charles Foster (@CFGeek)
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Meta Quietly Rolls Out Stablecoin Payments Four Years After Shelving Controversial Libra Project
By Ben Weiss via Fortune
Meta has quietly launched stablecoin payouts for creators in Colombia and the Philippines, using Circle’s USDC via Solana and Polygon networks, processed through Stripe.
The rollout comes four years after the company was forced to abandon its controversial Libra project under intense regulatory pressure from governments worldwide.
Meta plans to expand the program to more than 160 countries by end of year, signaling a full re-entry into crypto payment infrastructure after years of public retreat.
𝕏: Meta rolls out USDC payouts into Latin America. Outstanding progress! - Jeremy Allaire - jerallaire.arc (@jerallaire)
Humanoid Maker 1X Opens US Factory, Plans to Make 10,000 Home Robots This Year
By Samantha Kelly via Bloomberg
1X Technologies, the Norwegian startup backed by OpenAI, has opened a 58,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Hayward, California.
The company aims to produce 10,000 humanoid home robots by the end of 2026, with its Neo robot designed to handle everyday household tasks.
The new factory represents the first major push to scale humanoid robot manufacturing for consumer use inside the United States, with 1X competing in a market that is still defining what home robots can realistically do.
𝕏: 1X Technologies, a Norway-founded robotics startup backed by OpenAI, has opened a 58,000-square-foot factory in Hayward, California, aiming to scale production of consumer humanoid robots. The facility can produce 10,000 units in its first year, with a target of 100,000 by 2027 alongside a larger site under development in San Carlos… - Hardik Shah (@AIStockSavvy)
Smartphones With Satellite Connectivity to Reach 46 Percent of Global Shipments by 2030
Counterpoint Research
A new Counterpoint Research forecast projects that satellite connectivity will be present in 46% of all global smartphone shipments by 2030.
Growth will be driven by expanding carrier partnerships, falling hardware integration costs, and consumer demand for reliable connectivity in remote areas.
The trend positions companies like Apple, Qualcomm, and satellite providers such as AST SpaceMobile for significant infrastructure expansion over the next four years.
𝕏: “Nearly one in two smartphones is expected to support satellite connectivity by 2030. Apple, Google and Samsung will lead in terms of overall penetration, but Android brands ... will see less penetration.” We’re thrilled to bring you ad-free news every day. If Newslit Daily has been valuable to you, consider supporting us so we can keep the lights on and the inbox clear. - Mike Dano (@mikeddano)
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