OpenAI Founder and CEO Sam Altman claimed that he paid $45,000 as reservation fee for a Tesla but is yet to receive the car — even after waiting 7.5 years. Frustrated by the long delay, Altman is seeking a refund from the Elon Musk-owned electric car maker.
In a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Altman shared three screenshots of email exchanges related to his Tesla purchase and refund requests. One screenshot shows the confirmation of his booking, another displays his email to Tesla requesting a cancellation and refund. The third email reveals that his refund request email bounced back and never reached the company.
Despite his attempt to reach out to Tesla, the email showed an error stating “address not found”, as seen in one of the screenshots shared by the chief executive.
“A tale in three acts,” Altman captioned the post, sharing the screenshots. “I really was excited for the car! And I understand delays. But 7.5 years has felt like a long time to wait,” he wrote in the comment section of the post.
Which Tesla Model did the CEO order?
Even though Altman did not specify which Tesla model he ordered, the screenshots suggest that it was a Tesla Roadster — one of the most highly anticipated models of the car maker.
Tesla's lack of communication regarding the Roadster had drawn significant criticism earlier. However, Elon Musk later addressed this issue, jokingly acknowledging that they are testing the patience of reservation holders.
Altman's brother responds to post
The post quickly received multiple comments and likes, but one that stood out came from Sam Altman's brother, Jack Altman.
In a lighthearted jab, Jack shared Sam's picture with a quote over it reading, “Whether we burn $500 million, $5 billion, or $50 billion a year — I don't care.” He captioned it with a teasing remark, “You can't be worrying about 50k like this.” Sam responded to the comment, saying, “little brother energy is the WORST.”
An X user also pointed out that Sam Altman's reservation screenshot shows a transaction of $45,000, whereas in the refund email, Altman said, “Could you please refund me the $50K.” The user questioned, “I’m seeing $45k, where do you get the $50k figure from?”
Another user said, “That’s the Tesla experience in 3 acts: hype, hope, & heartbreak. Act 4 is Elon tweeting “soon.”
Although Tesla CEO Elon Musk has not yet commented on Altman's post, it is not yet known whether the company personally reached out to Altman and addressed the matter.