OpenAI chief Sam Altman recently shared frustration after attempting to recover a $50,000 deposit he placed on a Tesla Roadster in 2018. Posting publicly, he revealed the original reservation and his refund request sent in October 2025, underscoring just how long early customers have waited for Tesla’s long-promised halo EV.
Describing his thread as “A tale in three acts,” Altman shared the confirmation email and his cancellation note. His message read: “Hi, I’d like to cancel my reservation. Could you please refund me the $50k?” He originally approached the Roadster with genuine excitement and patience, yet nearly eight years of delays shifted his perspective and made reclaiming funds feel reasonable.
Optimism eventually yielded to practicality. Nearly a decade without a firm delivery timeline convinced Altman it was time to walk away. His enthusiasm never disappeared, yet expectations evolved as delays continued. Long waits often force hard decisions, and stepping back felt like the sensible move given the lack of concrete progress.
A bounce-back notice immediately complicated matters. His message to reservations@tesla.com failed to deliver, with an automated error stating the address no longer existed. That small detail added another wrinkle to a story already defined by years of waiting, mirroring what other high-profile reservation holders have experienced as the Roadster timeline stretches on.
A tale in three acts: pic.twitter.com/ClRZBgT24g
— Sam Altman (@sama) October 30, 2025
Marques Brownlee, widely known as MKBHD, shared a similar experience. During a podcast, he explained that he placed two Roadster reservations in 2017, first paying $5,000 and then following up with $45,000 shortly after. Brownlee later joked that Tesla held his funds untouched for years while opportunities to use that money elsewhere slipped by.
His refund journey proved equally challenging. Without a simple cancellation button online, he cycled through voicemails for days before a $45,000 check arrived. Tesla kept the $5,000 commitment fee, a result he accepted after the drawn-out process. His experience reflected both persistence and the reality of long-term reservations for a vehicle still absent from roads.
Excitement surrounding the next-generation Roadster soared in 2017 when Elon Musk promised staggering performance: 0–96 km/h in 1.9 seconds, a 402-km/h top speed, and an estimated 620-mile range. Those headline numbers fueled deposits from early tech adopters confident Tesla would reshape high-performance EV expectations.
Production has yet to materialize. Musk later framed the Roadster as a finishing-touch project, noting other priorities came first. Mid-2025 filings again labeled the car as being in “design development,” reinforcing that it remains an idea rather than an imminent production model. Buyers continue waiting for something beyond ambitious claims and concept-stage updates.
Interest in the Roadster began with bold performance promises, but years of delays have shifted expectations. Supporters who once anticipated a groundbreaking EV now simply want clear progress. The project sits at a point where excitement alone is not enough; Tesla will need to deliver a tangible product rather than another round of ambitious claims.
