Harsh Jain, the CEO of Indian fantasy sports platform Dream11 has publicly criticised Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk for returning his $1,000 reservation fee for a Model 3 that he had placed back in March 2017. The move, coming nearly a decade after the initial booking, has stripped Jain of his priority slot for a Tesla vehicle in India. Jain took to X (fernery known as Twitter) to express his disappointment.
Read Dream11 CEO Harsh Jain’s post on slamming Tesla
In a post shared on X, Jain tagged Elon Musk directly, expressing his profound disappointment: “Wow Elon Musk, do you know Tesla is turning ALL its fans and early believers in India into haters?” He elaborated on his frustration, revealing, “I had paid $1k for a priority slot in March 2017 for Tesla’s India launch. Now that Tesla is FINALLY launching almost 10 YEARS later they’re only going to refund me $1k and take away my priority slot?”Jain further highlighted the financial implications of Tesla’s delayed entry and his refunded reservation. He pointed out that had he invested that same $1,000 in Tesla shares in March 2017, it would now be worth approximately $20,000, underscoring his belief that Tesla “doesn’t care” about its early supporters.
A screenshot shared by Jain revealed an email from Tesla, explaining that “the original Model 3 in your reservation was one of the products that have been replaced” as the company’s product lineup evolves. Tesla stated they are in the process of finalizing product offerings in India and would reach out to the market again once ready for launch and delivery, expressing hope to “see you back with us.”
Tesla’s India expansion plans
Tesla has for years planned an entry into the Indian market, posting various mid-level jobs in the country and recently leasing a significant warehousing space in Mumbai.
