On X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, he and Sam Altman are still exchanging barbs.
Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, and Musk, both original founders at the company, have engaged in a series of disagreements across social media, official court documents, and corporate blog posts. The most recent exchange was triggered by Altman’s post of what he described as “a tale in three acts,” including screenshots showing his 2018 reservation of a Tesla Roadster, followed by a recent attempt to cancel and receive a refund of his $50,000 reservation fee, only to have his email bounce.
Altman commented, “I was genuinely looking forward to the car! While I understand delays, waiting 7.5 years feels excessive.”
The second-generation Roadster was initially revealed in November 2017 but has been delayed multiple times. Musk (Tesla’s CEO) recently stated that a new version would be revealed before this year’s end.
Musk’s initial response to Altman’s post was, “You stole a nonprofit,” a recurring criticism he has made against Altman and OpenAI — not only in tweets but also through lawsuits and takeover attempts aimed at hindering OpenAI’s efforts to reorganize as a for-profit company (a process recently completed by OpenAI, with its non-profit division maintaining oversight of the for-profit public benefit corporation).
Musk has also launched a competing AI startup, xAI, which is suing OpenAI and Apple, alleging that the companies are working together to suppress competition. (Altman called the accusation “remarkable … considering the allegations I’ve heard about Elon manipulating X to favor himself and his companies while harming competitors and individuals he dislikes.”)
In addition to reiterating his criticism of Altman and OpenAI, Musk also implied that Altman’s screenshots were incomplete, stating, “And you neglected to mention act 4, where the problem was resolved and you received a refund within 24 hours. But that aligns with your character.”
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