Acquired AI Sam Altman Calls Out Elon Musk Over Delayed Tesla Roadster
Nov 17, 2025
Sam Altman and Elon Musk are at odds over the delayed Tesla Roadster, leading to a spirited Twitter exchange. The discussion shifts to OpenAI's recent transition to a for-profit structure and its implications for major cloud partnerships. Altman defends this move, emphasizing its role in positioning OpenAI for growth, while scrutiny arises around revenue versus spending commitments. The potential surge in compute demand driven by humanoid robots is also explored, raising questions about future infrastructure needs.
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Sam Altman's Roadster Refund Story
- Sam Altman shared a seven-year Roadster reservation story and a failed refund email to mock Elon Musk's delays.
- Elon Musk accused Sam of stealing a nonprofit and later claimed the refund was fixed within 24 hours.
Revenue vs. Massive Compute Commitments
- OpenAI reportedly earns about $13 billion annually but faces over $1 trillion in future compute spending commitments.
- Sam Altman's blunt response was to suggest critics sell their shares if unhappy with the direction.
For-Profit Move Unlocked AWS Deal
- Converting to a for-profit enabled OpenAI to sign a $38 billion cloud deal with AWS without Microsoft approval.
- That restructure removed Microsoft Azure's effective veto tied to its earlier investment and compute partnership.