Nine years. That's how long Tesla fans, and one notably impatient OpenAI CEO, have been waiting for Elon Musk to deliver on his promise of a next-generation Roadster. According to TechCrunch, Tesla posted a cryptic X message on Saturday with the words "Go for launch" and a date graphic reading "10.01", October 1 is the date for the unveiling.
But here's the complication. Sam Altman, the OpenAI CEO, publicly called out Musk last year for making him wait 7.5 years after dropping a $50,000 reservation fee. Musk clapped back insisting Altman had gotten a refund. The exchange between these two tech executives over a sports car drew attention as typical Silicon Valley drama.
This isn't the same car Musk announced in 2017. According to TechCrunch, Tesla scrapped the original design and built an entirely new version.
Those cold gas thrusters discussed online are real, and they come from SpaceX. Musk has said these optional add-ons could let the Roadster "fly in some way." It's consistent with his ownership of a space company: why build a fast car when you can build a fast car with thrusters?
Production won't start for another 12 to 18 months after October 1. So for anyone expecting to place an order on October 2, that timeline is longer still. Musk has been explicit about this delay.
The October 1 date matters because it signals Musk is ready to show the car after years of delays and design changes. Whether the reveal justifies nearly a decade of waiting remains to be seen. If Sam Altman still holds his reservation, he will soon know whether $50,000 bought him something genuinely new or simply a long delay.
