Sam Altman and Elon Musk never miss an opportunity to argue on social media. This time, it’s a car that has reignited hostilities between the two tech bosses. The man behind OpenAI is demanding a refund after waiting more than seven years for his Tesla Roadster.
It all started in November 2017. At that time, Elon Musk, head of Tesla, presented with great fanfare his new second-generation Roadster, an electric car more powerful than all the thermal models on the market. According to Tesla, the model can go from 0 to 100 km/h in just 2 seconds, reach 400 km/h and has an announced range of 1,000 km, record figures for a 100% electric car. Faced with these enthusiastic promises, Sam Altman was seduced in July 2018. He paid $50,000 to obtain the car.
But since then… no more news about the Roadster. Therefore, the head of OpenAI decided to cancel his order and, above all, make it known on X, ex-Twitter. “A story in three acts,” writes Sam Altman simply, in his publication, viewed 16 million times. Or rather, in three images.
A vehicle with absent subscribers
Backup screenshot, the businessman shows the email confirming his deposit for the vehicle order. Tired of waiting after seven and a half years, he requested the cancellation of his order and the return of the deposit. Surprise… Receive an automatic response. The email address provided by Tesla and normally used to complete the refund request no longer exists.
“I really wanted to receive the car! I understand that there could be delays, but seven and a half years seemed like an eternity,” he adds, implying that Elon Musk would not respect his commitments and promises. Sam Altman is not the only one who has paid a deposit for a car that does not yet exist. YouTuber MKBHD also said he canceled his reservation due to the long wait time.
It must be said that the model should have been ready in 2020, five years ago. If Covid delayed production, the launch of the Roadster was postponed every year, without the company really specifying the reasons for this long delay.
The vehicle is listed in the company’s latest quarterly report as a “design development” project, according to Business Insider. The new release date is therefore still quite vague. Franz von Holzhausen, Tesla’s design director, mentions “end of 2025” as a deadline for a simple demonstration. A presentation that could be impressive since Elon Musk assures that the model could fly thanks to a “Space X pack” derived from rockets. If all goes well, deliveries should begin within two years.
Elon Musk’s response was immediate. “You stole from a non-profit organization,” responds the South African billionaire in X. A barely veiled hint to the dispute that has confronted them for several years. Because if they both co-founded OpenAI in 2015, the two entrepreneurs have become rivals since Elon Musk left the company in 2018.
A long-standing dispute
According to the boss last week, OpenAI announced that it had adopted a new for-profit structure that will allow it to operate as a more traditional company.
The Tesla Roadster episode is, therefore, only the latest episode in the war between Elon Musk and Sam Altman. For months, the two men have been increasing attacks and criticism through the media and social networks.
A fight on social networks, which continues on a professional level. To compete with OpenAI, Elon Musk launched his own artificial intelligence company, called xAI. At the same time, Sam Altman decided to attack his rival in new territory: that of brain-machine interfaces. The co-founder of OpenAI should officially announce in the coming weeks the creation of Merge Labs, a start-up that will compete directly with Neuralink… the company founded by the head of Tesla.
For fans of the American automaker, it is still possible to reserve the second generation Roadster… as long as you pay an advance payment of 43,000 euros and, above all, are patient.
Source: BFM TV
