🧠 GPT-4o Pullback, Starlink in Bangladesh, AI-Written Code

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🧠 GPT-4o Pullback, Starlink in Bangladesh, AI-Written Code

Plus: Personal AVs via Waymo, EU Tech Ties Hold Firm.

Jose Montes de Oca

Apr 30, 2025

Transcript

Good morning. It’s Wednesday, April 30. Today we are covering:

Sycophancy in GPT-4o: What happened and what we're doing about it
Starlink Secures Final Approval to Launch in Bangladesh
Microsoft CEO says up to 30% of the company's code was written by AI
Waymo, Toyota strike partnership to bring self-driving tech to personal vehicles
EU views break from US as 'unrealistic' amid global tech race

Let’s dive in

Sycophancy in GPT-4o: What happened and what we're doing about it

OpenAI

OpenAI rolled back a GPT‑4o update that made ChatGPT overly flattering and agreeable, after user feedback flagged it as excessively sycophantic.
The issue stemmed from overweighting short-term feedback, leading to disingenuous responses; OpenAI is now revising its feedback mechanisms and expanding personalization features.
To address the problem, OpenAI is refining training techniques, building guardrails for honesty, and developing tools for real-time user control—including multiple default personalities and broader democratic input.

𝕏: the last couple of GPT-4o updates have made the personality too sycophant-y and annoying (even though there are some very good parts of it), and we are working on fixes asap, some today and some this week. at some point will share our learnings from this, it's been interesting. - Sam Altman (@sama)

Starlink Secures Final Approval to Launch in Bangladesh

By Matt Wilson via Drive Tesla

SpaceX’s Starlink has received final approval to operate in Bangladesh, becoming the second South Asian country after Sri Lanka to greenlight the satellite internet service.
The decision follows urgent demand for more resilient connectivity after internet outages during the July 2024 uprising, with Starlink seen as vital for disaster-prone and energy-challenged regions.
Rapid regulatory action enabled a May launch target, though full operations will depend on building local broadband gateways and IXPs per national telecom policy.

𝕏: NEWS: SpaceX’s @Starlink has officially been granted a license to operate in Bangladesh. With this decision, Bangladesh becomes the second country in South Asia after Sri Lanka to approve Starlink’s services. - Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt)

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Microsoft CEO says up to 30% of the company's code was written by AI

By Maxwell Zeff via TechCrunch

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella revealed that 20–30% of the company’s code is now written by AI, with stronger performance in Python and weaker results in C++.
During the LlamaCon discussion with Mark Zuckerberg, Nadella noted this shift reflects a broader trend, echoing Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott’s projection that 95% of code could be AI-generated by 2030.
Google is reportedly ahead, with CEO Sundar Pichai stating that over 30% of new code is AI-generated, though methods of measuring AI-written code vary across companies.

𝕏: The reason why going AI-first as a company is so important now is best captured by Paul Graham's startup advice of "live in the future, then build what's missing." AI-first companies will see new problems to solve soonest, and that flywheel will only compound over time. - Aaron Levie (@levie)

Waymo, Toyota strike partnership to bring self-driving tech to personal vehicles

By Jennifer Elias via CNBC

Waymo and Toyota have formed a preliminary partnership to explore integrating autonomous driving tech into personally owned vehicles, aiming to adapt Waymo’s robotaxi systems for consumer use.
The partnership may expand to include Toyota vehicles in Waymo’s ride-hailing fleet, complementing ongoing collaborations with Hyundai and Geely, while bolstering Waymo's growing commercial presence.
With Waymo now delivering 250,000 paid rides per week, the move signals a broader industry shift toward personal-use autonomy, following similar strategies by GM and competitive remarks from Tesla.

𝕏: On our mission to be the world's most trusted driver, it’s important to collaborate with global partners like @ToyotaMotorCorp – a team and company that share our commitment to improving road safety and expanding accessible transportation. Looking forward to this strategic partnership and bringing the magic of Waymo's autonomous driving technology to Toyota customers. - Tekedra N Mawakana (@TechTekedra)

EU views break from US as 'unrealistic' amid global tech race

By Mathieu Pollet via POLITICO

The EU’s draft International Digital Strategy calls decoupling from the U.S. tech sector “unrealistic,” emphasizing continued cooperation with major players like the U.S., China, Japan, South Korea, and India.
Despite rising protectionist sentiment, the EU pushes for strategic tech alliances and global partnerships in fields like quantum and semiconductors to boost competitiveness and reduce vulnerabilities.
The strategy acknowledges calls for a “Eurostack”—a Europe-first tech ecosystem—but maintains that tailored, country-specific collaboration is essential given supply chain complexity and China’s dominance in low-tech chips.

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