Tesla Tension Between Elon Musk and Sam Altman

A new dispute has erupted between Elon Musk and Sam Altman. This time, the topic revolves around the cancellation of an order for the delayed Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) Roadster vehicle, reigniting tensions between the two prominent figures in Silicon Valley.

Altman shared a series of screenshots this week showing his attempts to cancel the Roadster order and request a refund. He posted messages asking for a refund of $50,000 following an email confirming the $45,000 payment from 2018. Altman wrote, "I was really excited for the car to arrive! I understand the delays, but waiting for 7.5 years feels like quite a long time."

Musk responded in a post on the X platform, stating that Altman had omitted important details: "And you forgot about ‘act 4’; the part where the issue was resolved and you received your refund within 24 hours. But that's in your nature."

The Tesla Roadster was first unveiled in 2017 and is touted as 'the fastest car ever made.' However, according to Tesla's latest earnings report, the model is still in the 'design development' phase. Musk recently stated during his appearance on the 'Joe Rogan Experience' podcast that the new Roadster will include ‘crazy technologies’ and will be 'crazier than all the James Bond cars combined.'

This dispute adds to the growing list of public disagreements between the two tech giants. Musk accused Altman of transforming the company into a 'closed-source, profit-maximizing' entity after parting ways with him following the founding of OpenAI in 2018, which was later dominated by Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT). Musk filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in 2024, claiming that the organization had violated its non-profit roots. OpenAI, on the other hand, shared emails suggesting that Musk had once wanted the company to merge with Tesla.

Recently, OpenAI announced that it had undergone a restructuring and established the OpenAI Foundation to oversee a new public benefit arm called OpenAI Group PBC.