Tesla’s Flying Roadster, Plex’s Ticketing Push, and a Leap-Second Decision

The reports point in very different directions: Tesla is presenting an extreme vision of the performance car, Plex is turning streaming discovery into a theater-ticket funnel, and world timekeepers have decided to move away from the leap second.

Tesla Roadster 2 makes its long-delayed debut

Tesla and Elon Musk unveiled the second-generation Roadster at an event held at SpaceX’s rocket testing facility in McGregor, Texas. During the demonstration, the car briefly lifted off the ground using bursts of steam or gas from onboard thrusters. At one point, it appeared to pass over Tesla’s electric semi-truck.

The event marks the latest chapter in a project first announced in 2017. Tesla originally said the Roadster 2 would enter production in 2020 and positioned it as the fastest production vehicle in the world. The company now says production will begin in 2028, although the supplied report does not establish whether that date is firm.

Tesla executives described the vehicle as a car that may be driven—or, more precisely, piloted—by a person. Musk also called it “not necessarily a safety-optimized car,” a remark that underscores the gap between the Roadster’s spectacle-driven design and the priorities normally associated with everyday passenger vehicles.

How the Roadster is supposed to fly

According to Tesla vehicle engineering chief Lars Moravy, the system uses four thrusters powered by compressed gas carried onboard the vehicle. Tesla says the same system would serve two purposes:

• briefly lifting the car from the ground;
• generating additional downward force during cornering.

Musk claimed that the Roadster would set new records on racing circuits, but that remains a prediction rather than a demonstrated production capability.

Tesla said the car could accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in one second. Moravy suggested a potential top speed of about 230 mph, while Musk expressed the hope that the vehicle could approach half the speed of sound—roughly 385 mph. Those figures should be treated as company targets or claims until an independently verified production vehicle achieves them.

The comparison with Formula 1 illustrates the ambition of the proposal: the source material says modern Formula 1 cars generally reach around 220 mph.

The unanswered questions

Tesla did not announce a price at the event described in the supplied report. When the Roadster 2 was first announced, the advertised price was $200,000, with some buyers reportedly paying $50,000 deposits. Adjusted for inflation, the deposit would be worth more than $68,000 in 2026 dollars, according to the source material.

The lengthy delay has already tested customer patience. The report cites criticism from OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman, who said he had difficulty canceling his reservation.

For potential buyers, the Roadster 2 remains a highly ambitious, not-yet-produced vehicle. Its claimed performance, delivery schedule, final design, and price all remain subject to change. The demonstration showed Tesla’s intended concept; it did not establish that customers will soon receive a production car with the same capabilities.

Plex begins directing streaming users to movie theaters

Plex, known for its media-server software and streaming discovery features, has partnered with Fandango to sell movie theater tickets.

Under the arrangement, users in the United States can see a Fandango ticketing option on Plex pages for films currently playing in theaters. Selecting the option takes users to Fandango, where they can check showtimes and purchase tickets.

The partnership changes Plex’s role in the movie-discovery process. Rather than ending the user journey with a decision about what to stream, Plex can now direct that interest toward a theatrical release.

Why the integration matters

Plex says its service generates more than 100 million streaming decisions each month. Fandango can use signals from Plex, including ratings and cross-platform viewing, to identify people who are considering a particular film and present a path to showtimes.

For studios and advertisers, the appeal is measurement. The integration includes direct attribution through Kochava, allowing campaigns to be connected more directly with ticket purchases, according to the announcement summarized in the source material.

Fandango says it sells tickets for 31,000 movie theater screens in the United States.

What users should expect

The arrangement does not turn Plex into a theater chain or a replacement for Fandango. Plex remains the discovery layer, while Fandango handles showtimes and ticket purchases.

The business value for Plex is the ability to monetize interest before a user chooses a streaming service. For theaters and studios, the benefit is a possible route from online discovery to a paid cinema visit. Whether the partnership meaningfully increases attendance cannot be determined from the announcement alone.

Timekeepers move away from the leap second

The supplied material identifies a decision by world timekeepers to eliminate the leap second. It does not include the technical details, implementation timetable, or organizations involved in making the decision.

Without those details, it would be misleading to specify when the change will take effect or how existing time standards will be adjusted. The information supplied here supports reporting the decision, but not its practical consequences.

Sources

• WIRED, “The Tesla Roadster 2 Is Here—and It Flies,” published October 16, 2026: https://www.wired.com/story/tesla-roadster-2-launch/
• Ars Technica, “Plex now helps sell movie theater tickets,” published October 15, 2026: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/10/plex-now-helps-sell-movie-theater-tickets/