The feud between Elon Musk and Sam Altman took a new turn after the OpenAI CEO shared a post alleging that the world's richest man's EV company did not cancel his reservation of a Tesla vehicle.
In a post on the social media platform X, Altman shared screenshots of the order and claimed that he placed an order for a Tesla Roadster on 11 July 2018. On the same day, he requested a cancellation of the order and sought a refund of $50,000.
He later found out that the official web address, where refunds were requested, remained unavailable.
“I really was excited for the car! And I understand delays. But 7.5 years has felt like a long time to wait,” Altman wrote.
However, Elon Musk claimed that the issue was resolved and the refunds were provided on time.
What did Elon Musk say?
Responding to the allegations, Elon Musk said, “You stole a non-profit," further adding, "And you forgot to mention act 4, where this issue was fixed and you received a refund within 24 hours.”
Hinting at their previous clashes, Musk noted, “But that is in your nature.”
Elon Musk and Sam Altman: From allies to rivals
Altman and Musk co-founded OpenAI in 2015 but had a falling out in 2018. Conflicts over the company's direction, especially whether it should remain non-profit led Musk to depart and set off a long-running feud.
The tensions further escalated after Tesla's CEO allegedly proposed a $97 billion takeover bid for OpenAI. Musk, together with a group of investors, tried to acquire the AI company, but Altman quickly declined, stating that OpenAI was “not for sale.” The rivalry has continued through legal documents and public exchanges.
Netizens react
Following the latest social media clash, several X users reacted to Altman and Musk's exchanges, where most made humorous jabs.
One of the users commented, “I really do hope that you guys decide to be friends and work together for the sake of humanity.”
“Elon , who would win in a fight, you or sam?,” added another.
“SHOTS FIRED,” a user said.
“Elon, you know that you both have similarities to each other in terms of personality traits. The weirder thing is, you both mirror each others traits but call each other out on it,” another commented.
“Is there anyone else you despise more than Sam? Just curious,” asked an X user.