Silicon Valley executives Elon Musk and Sam Altman engaged in a public dispute this week, stemming from Altman’s attempt to cancel a pre-order for Tesla’s long-delayed Roadster, which quickly escalated into Musk making accusations against the OpenAI CEO.
The spat began on October 30, 2025, when Altman posted on X, formerly Twitter, detailing his unsuccessful effort to secure a refund for a Tesla Roadster he pre-ordered in July 2018 with a reservation payment of $45,000. He shared screenshots of emails showing his attempt to cancel the order by replying to the original confirmation, which resulted in an “address not found” error after seven years.
A tale in three acts: pic.twitter.com/ClRZBgT24g
— Sam Altman (@sama) October 30, 2025
Two days later, on November 1, 2025, Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded on X, acknowledging the issue was resolved and the refund was processed. However, Musk swiftly pivoted to a broader attack, accusing Altman of having “stolen a non-profit organization,” referencing OpenAI’s controversial transition from a non-profit to a for-profit entity.
And you forgot to mention act 4, where this issue was fixed and you received a refund within 24 hours.
But that is in your nature.— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 1, 2025
Musk confirmed that Altman’s refund was issued within 24 hours of his public complaint.
The extended delay in the Roadster’s release has been a point of contention for many customers. Originally slated for a 2020 launch, the electric supercar has yet to reach production.
Musk recently claimed Tesla is nearing demonstration of a Roadster prototype, describing it as “even crazier” than a collection of James Bond’s cars and hinting at potential flying capabilities. However, previous delays have led to skepticism regarding new timelines.