Altman Seeks Refund Over Delayed Tesla Roadster

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman posted screenshots showing he reserved a Tesla Roadster in 2018 and paid a $50,000 deposit in two installments ($5,000 then $45,000), and says he has spent 7.5 years waiting for delivery. He asked Tesla to cancel the reservation and refund the deposit, but his refund email bounced and other customers, including YouTuber Marques Brownlee, have reported difficulty recovering payments, with at least one refund reportedly returning $45,000 after a lengthy process. The Roadster, unveiled in 2017 with claims of sub-2-second 0–60 mph acceleration and 250+ mph top speed, has repeatedly missed production targets that originally aimed for 2020 and remains delayed. Tesla says the model is still in design development, and Tesla and CEO Elon Musk have not publicly responded to Altman's post, which went viral and drew widespread online reaction. The episode highlights ongoing customer frustration over long-delayed Tesla models amid a backdrop of public rivalry and legal disputes between Altman and Musk.