Peter Steinberger, creator of the viral AI assistant OpenClaw, said he would join OpenAI to lead development of what CEO Sam Altman called “the next generation of personal agents.”
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Altman announced the hire February 15 on X, adding that OpenClaw “will live in a foundation as an open source project that OpenAI will continue to support.”
OpenClaw—previously known as Clawdbot, then Moltbot—achieved viral popularity in recent weeks with its promise to be the “AI that actually does things.” The open-source assistant can manage calendars, book flights, check in for travel, handle email, and perform other automated tasks through messaging platforms like Telegram, Discord, and iMessage.
The project drew more than 100,000 stars on GitHub and attracted 2 million visitors in a single week, according to Steinberger’s blog. That rapid growth also attracted scrutiny. China’s industry ministry warned in early February that improperly configured OpenClaw instances could pose security risks including cyberattacks and data breaches.
Steinberger, an Austrian developer, said in a blog post that while he could have turned OpenClaw into a large company, “It’s not really exciting for me.”
“What I want is to change the world, not build a large company, and teaming up with OpenAI is the fastest way to bring this to everyone,” Steinberger wrote.
The hire signals OpenAI’s focus on autonomous agents—AI systems that can complete multi-step tasks without constant human oversight. Newsrooms have experimented with similar automation for routine tasks like social media scheduling, breaking news alerts, and story research, but security and accuracy concerns remain.
OpenClaw’s open-source status was a key concern for Steinberger. “It’s always been important to me that OpenClaw stays open source and given the freedom to flourish,” he said. The new foundation structure aims to preserve that while giving Steinberger resources to expand the technology’s reach.
