OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger has joined OpenAI to drive the next generation of personal AI agents, marking a significant shift in how the AI industry approaches autonomous task automation. The announcement comes after his open-source project achieved viral success within weeks of its November 2025 launch.
From Side Project to Industry Milestone
Steinberger’s OpenClaw, previously known as Clawdbot and later Moltbot, emerged as a breakthrough in autonomous AI assistants. Unlike traditional chatbots that respond to user prompts, OpenClaw acts proactively on behalf of users—managing emails, booking flights, sorting messages, scheduling meetings, and integrating with apps like WhatsApp, Slack, and Spotify.
The project attracted over 100,000 GitHub stars and millions of visits to its project page within weeks, eventually reaching 196,000 GitHub stars and 2 million weekly visitors. Rather than converting OpenClaw into a standalone startup, Steinberger chose partnership with OpenAI.
Strategic Reasoning Behind the Move
In his announcement, Steinberger explained that while starting a company was possible, his priority was changing the world rather than building a large company, and he viewed OpenAI as the fastest path to bringing his vision to everyone. He cited OpenAI’s infrastructure, research resources, and product ecosystem as essential for scaling such an ambitious idea.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman welcomed the move as strategic, noting that the company expects personal agents to be an important part of future AI products. Altman emphasized that “the future is going to be extremely multi-agent and it’s important to support open source as part of that,” and confirmed that OpenClaw will live in a foundation as an open-source project that OpenAI will continue to support.
The Broader AI Industry Trend
This development reflects a significant pivot in AI technology direction. Competitors from Anthropic to Google DeepMind have also indicated interest in multi-agent systems and autonomous workflows, but OpenAI’s move signals how seriously the category is now being taken.
Security Concerns Remain
The rise of autonomous agents has not been without controversy. Growing security concerns emerged around OpenClaw after a user reported the agent “went rogue” and spammed hundreds of messages after being given access to iMessage, with cybersecurity experts warning the tool is risky because it has access to private data, can communicate externally, and is exposed to untrusted content. Maintaining an open foundation with careful oversight matters as these tools scale.
Looking Ahead
Steinberger’s next ambition is ambitious: to build an agent that even his mum can use, which he acknowledges will require broader change, more thought on how to do it safely, and access to the very latest models and research.
The trajectory from experimental open-source project to a central piece of a major AI lab’s strategy signals a fundamental shift in how AI will integrate into daily digital life—moving from conversational replies to autonomous action.