Elon Musk and Sam Altman are fighting again, but the Tesla Roadster is only the latest trigger. Altman says he reserved a second-generation Roadster in 2018, waited about seven and a half years through repeated delays, and then tried to cancel after a refund email bounced. Musk replied that the issue had been fixed and that Altman received his refund within 24 hours.
Musk then turned the customer-service dispute into another argument about OpenAI, accusing Altman and others of having stolen a nonprofit
. The Roadster exchange was a social-media confrontation—not a new lawsuit over the car—but it shows how quickly their older business and legal conflict reappears.
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Why a Roadster reservation became a Musk–Altman argument
The money and the car matter, but the public exchange was really about trust. Altman says he waited roughly seven and a half years for Tesla’s second-generation Roadster, then tried to cancel his reservation and request a refund. The cancellation email reportedly bounced. Musk replied that the problem had been fixed and that Altman received his money back within 24 hours.
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That disagreement would normally be a customer-service dispute. Instead, Musk used his response to revive his long-running accusation that Altman and others had stolen a nonprofit
—a reference to OpenAI’s evolution from a nonprofit-oriented research organization into a more commercial company.
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In other words, this was a social-media flare-up in an older personal, corporate and legal conflict. It was not a new lawsuit over the Roadster, and Altman did not receive or own a production Roadster merely because he had a reservation.
What Altman and Musk said
According to TechCrunch’s account of the exchange, Altman described the story in three parts: he reserved a Roadster in 2018, stayed excited about the car through years of delays, and eventually attempted to cancel after waiting about 7.5 years.
The reported reservation amount was $50,000. Altman’s account said the email used to cancel and seek a refund bounced, leaving him unable to complete the process through that channel. Musk answered that the matter had been resolved and that the refund arrived within 24 hours.
Those are competing public accounts, not independently established facts about Tesla’s internal email system or payment records. The safest conclusion is that Altman publicly complained about a long-delayed reservation and a failed refund-contact attempt, while Musk publicly claimed that Tesla quickly corrected the problem.
Musk then broadened the subject beyond Tesla’s customer service. His reference to a stolen
nonprofit returned the conversation to OpenAI, where his disagreement with Altman has continued through public attacks and litigation.
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The Roadster was never a normal reservation
Tesla announced the second-generation Roadster in November 2017 as an electric supercar. Later reporting described an original production target of 2020. That target passed, followed by additional delays, while the car remained one of Tesla’s most visible promised products.
Tesla’s official Roadster page still presents the vehicle as a high-performance electric car and displays a Reserve Now
option. Tesla claims:
- 0–60 mph in 1.9 seconds
- A top speed above 250 mph
- Up to 620 miles of range
Those figures are Tesla’s advertised claims, not independently verified production results. The page also does not provide a firm production or customer-delivery date. The available information therefore supports saying that Tesla continues to market the Roadster and accept or invite reservations—not that the car has entered ordinary customer production.
The distinction between a reservation and a vehicle purchase is important. Tesla’s older 2017 Roadster reservation agreement stated that the reservation was not itself a completed vehicle sale. It also allowed Tesla to change delivery timing and pricing before delivery. Those terms describe the historical agreement associated with early reservations; readers should not automatically assume that every term remains identical for a later reservation.
So Altman had a reservation and a financial claim connected to it, according to the reported account. He did not have a guaranteed delivery date, title to a vehicle or proof that a completed Roadster had been assigned to him.
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What is confirmed—and what remains only a target
| Question | Best-supported answer |
|---|---|
| Is the second-generation Roadster officially marketed? | Yes. Tesla’s current official page continues to promote it and includes a reservation option. |
| Are Tesla’s performance numbers confirmed real-world production results? | No. The 1.9-second acceleration, 250-plus-mph top speed and 620-mile range are Tesla’s stated specifications. |
| Does Tesla publish a firm delivery date? | Not on the official page cited here. |
| Is production expected in 2027 or 2028? | That timetable was reported by Electrek; it is not a firm delivery commitment published on Tesla’s official page. |
| Can the production Roadster fly or hover? | There is no basis for stating that it can. A reported cold-gas-thruster concept for a possible special version should be treated as a proposal, not a production capability. |
| Did Altman own a Roadster? | No. The public account concerns a reservation, not delivery or ownership. |
In June 2026, Electrek reported that a planned Roadster demonstration had slipped after an April 1 target passed, with the event expected in August or later. The same report described production as pushed to 2027–2028 and discussed work by Tesla and SpaceX on a cold-gas-thruster concept for a possible special version.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesThose details need careful wording. They are reported targets and descriptions of a proposed feature, not confirmation that Tesla has delivered a production car with thrusters. The research record available as of August 12, 2026, also does not establish that the reported August demonstration had taken place.
For readers interested in the car as a cultural object rather than waiting on a full-size vehicle, a Tesla Roadster diecast model is a more realistic collectible. It is a model car, not an alternative to a Tesla reservation and not evidence of what the final production vehicle will be.
Why Musk brought OpenAI into a Tesla dispute
Musk and Altman were among the people involved in launching OpenAI in 2015. Musk later left OpenAI’s board in 2018. Their disagreement expanded over time into arguments about the organization’s mission, governance and move toward a commercial structure.
OpenAI’s own account of the dispute says Musk wanted a for-profit OpenAI entity to merge with Tesla and that the organization rejected that proposal. That is OpenAI’s partisan account, not a neutral judicial finding about every disputed event. Musk’s public version is different: he has argued that Altman and others departed from OpenAI’s original nonprofit mission.
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The conflict has since involved lawsuits, competing companies and repeated public accusations. The Roadster exchange gave Musk a convenient way to connect a personal transaction with that much larger grievance. Altman was talking about a delayed car and a failed contact route; Musk responded by discussing what he believes happened to OpenAI.
The car did not cause the OpenAI conflict. It functioned as a symbol: Altman’s story represented years of waiting for a highly publicized Musk product, while Musk’s reply redirected attention to the unresolved history between the two technology executives.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.The broader legal context changed in 2026
The Roadster argument also landed after a significant development in Musk’s main federal case against Altman, OpenAI, Greg Brockman and Microsoft.
On May 18, 2026, a California jury rejected Musk’s claims. TechCrunch reported that the jury found the claims were filed too late under the applicable statute-of-limitations analysis, and that the judge said the evidence supported the jury’s conclusion.
Musk characterized the outcome as procedural rather than a moral vindication of OpenAI’s position and said he planned to appeal. That means the trial-level jury case ended against Musk, but it would be too broad to say the verdict automatically resolved every possible appeal or related proceeding.
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The verdict is relevant because it shows the Roadster post was not occurring in a legal vacuum. Musk’s criticism of Altman continued even though his major trial-level case did not end in his favor. The refund dispute became another public stage for a disagreement that had already moved far beyond the original organization they helped create.
Roadster and OpenAI timeline
- 2015: Musk, Altman and others helped launch OpenAI as a nonprofit-oriented AI research organization. OpenAI’s historical account documents the founding relationship, although the participants’ explanations of their motives and later disagreements remain contested. See OpenAI’s historical account.
- November 2017: Tesla announced the second-generation Roadster as a forthcoming electric performance car.
- 2018: Altman reportedly reserved a Roadster for $50,000. Musk left OpenAI’s board during the same year.
- 2018 onward: The Roadster’s expected production and delivery schedule continued to move. Its reservation terms did not amount to a completed vehicle sale.
- October–November 2025: Altman publicly described his cancellation and refund problem. Musk responded that the refund had been completed and revived his criticism of OpenAI. TechCrunch published its account on November 1, while coverage of the same episode was also dated November 3 elsewhere.
- April–August 2026: Tesla’s reported Roadster demonstration target moved from April toward August or later. Electrek reported a 2027–2028 production target and the possible thruster-equipped special version.
- May 18, 2026: A jury rejected Musk’s main claims against Altman and OpenAI. Musk announced an appeal.
How to read the dispute
- Altman’s claim: He waited years, tried to cancel and encountered a bounced email while seeking a refund.
- Musk’s claim: Tesla resolved the matter and refunded Altman within 24 hours.
- Established product context: Tesla announced the Roadster years ago, still advertises it and does not currently publish a firm delivery date on the cited official page.
- Reported but unconfirmed product context: The 2027–2028 production window, delayed demonstration and thruster concept come from reporting, not a confirmed Tesla delivery schedule or proof that the car can hover.
- Legal context: Musk’s main trial-level OpenAI case ended with a jury verdict against him on a timeliness analysis, and he said he would appeal.
The most accurate description is therefore not that Musk and Altman suddenly began fighting over a car. They were already engaged in a much older dispute. The Roadster reservation simply supplied a fresh, unusually tangible example of the history between them: a highly public promise, years of delay, a disputed customer-service episode and a rapid return to arguments about corporate purpose.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Sam Altman own a Tesla Roadster?
No. The public account concerns a reservation, reportedly made for $50,000 in 2018. A reservation was not a completed vehicle sale or proof that a Roadster had been delivered or assigned to Altman.
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Can the new Tesla Roadster fly?
Not based on the available evidence. Electrek reported a cold-gas-thruster concept for a possible special version, but that is a proposed feature—not proof that a production Roadster can fly or hover.
Did Elon Musk win his lawsuit against Sam Altman and OpenAI?
Musk’s main federal trial-level case against Altman, OpenAI, Greg Brockman and Microsoft ended with a jury rejecting his claims on May 18, 2026. Reporting said the jury found the claims were filed too late. Musk said he planned to appeal, so the verdict should not be described as resolving every possible related proceeding.
The Bottom Line
Bottom line: The Roadster was the trigger, not the cause, of the latest Musk–Altman clash. Altman described a delayed $50,000 reservation and a bounced refund email; Musk said the money was returned within 24 hours and used the moment to renew his OpenAI accusations. Tesla still advertises the Roadster, but its delivery date and the reported thruster claims remain unconfirmed.
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