Sam Altman seeks refund for 2018 Tesla Roadster deposit
Sam Altman is trying to cancel his Tesla Roadster reservation and get his money back after waiting since 2018. The OpenAI CEO posted email screenshots on X showing he put down a deposit seven and a half years ago and recently tried to request a refund, but the email bounced back.
Altman's emails show he wired $45,000 in 2018 for the reservation. His recent refund request asked for $50,000 back (additional $5,000 paid upfront), but the message was undeliverable to the Tesla email address he used. He wrote that he was excited about the car initially but seven and a half years felt too long to wait.
Neither Tesla nor Altman's representatives have commented publicly on the refund request. Some other early customers have also canceled their orders. YouTuber Marques Brownlee said in September he canceled one of his Roadster reservations. He initially said Tesla would keep the $5,000, but later confirmed he received the full $50,000 back.
The company announced the second-generation Roadster in 2017 with a target production date of 2020. Tesla has delayed the launch multiple times while focusing on other vehicles. In October 2024, Elon Musk said Tesla was finishing the Roadster's design and thanked people who placed reservations.
When Tesla first unveiled the Roadster, Musk said it would be the fastest production car ever made, with acceleration from zero to 60 mph in under two seconds. Tesla removed prominent Roadster links from the main site, but the reservation page remained accessible.
Altman and Musk have a complicated history. They co-founded OpenAI in 2015, but Musk left the board in 2018 and has criticized the company's direction since then. In 2024, Musk sued Altman and OpenAI, dropped the case, then filed again while trying to block OpenAI's corporate restructuring. The two have also traded public criticism on social media.
The company announced the second-generation Roadster in 2017 with a target production date of 2020. Tesla has delayed the launch multiple times while focusing on other vehicles. In October 2024, Elon Musk said Tesla was finishing the Roadster's design and thanked people who placed reservations.
When Tesla first unveiled the Roadster, Musk said it would be the fastest production car ever made, with acceleration from zero to 60 mph in under two seconds. Tesla removed prominent Roadster links from the main site, but the reservation page remained accessible.
Altman and Musk have a complicated history. They co-founded OpenAI in 2015, but Musk left the board in 2018 and has criticized the company's direction since then. In 2024, Musk sued Altman and OpenAI, dropped the case, then filed again while trying to block OpenAI's corporate restructuring. The two have also traded public criticism on social media.
