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Musk and Altman Trade Fresh Barbs on X Over Roadster Refund and OpenAI's Structure

The exchange revived Musk's long-running criticism of OpenAI's move to a for-profit model overseen by a nonprofit foundation.

Overview

  • Altman posted screenshots showing a 2018 $45,000 Tesla Roadster reservation and a cancellation email seeking a $50,000 refund that bounced.
  • Musk replied on X with “You stole a non-profit” and claimed the refund was issued within 24 hours, a point not independently confirmed in the reports.
  • Altman countered that he helped build what should be the largest nonprofit and said OpenAI’s current structure is necessary, adding that Musk once pushed for a Tesla takeover of OpenAI and predicted its failure.
  • OpenAI completed an October restructuring that established the OpenAI Foundation with oversight of its for-profit arm, OpenAI Group PBC, according to the company.
  • Tesla’s next-gen Roadster remains listed as in “design development” as Musk has recently teased a prototype featuring “crazy technology.”