OpenAI CEO Sam Altman spent more than seven years waiting for his Tesla Roadster before attempting to cancel his reservation and recover $50,000. Now, following Tesla’s dramatic unveiling of the redesigned electric supercar, Elon Musk has suggested Altman might have changed his mind.
Altman praised the new Roadster on October 16, 2026, just one day after Tesla demonstrated a prototype capable of driving upside down, performing airborne maneuvers, and accelerating from zero to 60 mph in under a second.
The compliment marked a surprising development in a reservation dispute that became public in October 2025, when Altman shared screenshots showing his original payment confirmation, cancellation request, and an email delivery failure.
When another X user asked whether Altman had reversed his cancellation, Musk responded with a single word. However, Altman has not publicly confirmed that he reinstated his reservation or ordered another Roadster.
Seven Years Waiting
Embedded media follows; please allow a moment to load.
A tale in three acts: https://t.co/ClRZBgT24g
— Sam Altman (@sama) October 30, 2025
Altman reserved the second-generation Tesla Roadster in July 2018, months after its November 2017 unveiling. His reservation confirmation showed a $45,000 payment, part of the original $50,000 reservation process.
In October 2025, Altman attempted to cancel the reservation and requested his $50,000 back. However, his email to reservations@tesla.com bounced back with a delivery failure notice indicating the address could not receive the message.
Altman described his frustration with the prolonged wait, writing that 7.5 years was a long time to wait for a vehicle he had originally been excited to own.
Musk subsequently claimed that Altman had received his refund within 24 hours. The exchange attracted attention partly because the two executives, who helped establish OpenAI in 2015, had become involved in a separate public dispute over the company’s direction.
Roadster Changes Everything
Tesla finally revealed its redesigned Roadster on October 15, 2026, at a SpaceX testing facility in Texas.
According to TechCrunch’s coverage of the demonstration, the prototype used powerful fans and compressed-air thrusters to travel along an inverted ramp, rotate through the air, and land on its wheels.
The car also briefly lifted itself over several other Tesla vehicles. Tesla demonstrated acceleration to 60 mph in approximately 1 second, although the capabilities shown are still part of a prototype rather than a commercially available production vehicle.
Tesla now targets 2028 for production, with multiple Roadster configurations planned.
Despite his previous attempt to recover his reservation payment, Altman appeared impressed.
Embedded media follows; please allow a moment to load.
Wow the new roadster looks quite amazing, good job @elonmusk
— Sam Altman (@sama) October 16, 2026
Musk Responds
Altman’s compliment prompted X user ALX to ask whether he had canceled his cancellation request.
Musk answered, “Indeed.”
Embedded media follows; please allow a moment to load.
@alx @sama Indeed
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 16, 2026
Musk’s response suggested that Altman might once again be interested in purchasing the Roadster, but it provided no confirmation of a new reservation, a reinstated order, or any change to the earlier refund.
The redesigned Roadster is still at least two years away from Tesla’s targeted production date, nearly a decade after Altman first placed his reservation.