OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger joins OpenAI

Peter Steinberger, the developer behind the AI personal assistant now known as OpenClaw, has joined OpenAI.

Previously branded as Clawdbot and later Moltbot, OpenClaw has gone viral over the past few weeks for positioning itself as the “AI that actually does things,” from managing calendars and booking flights to even joining a social network populated by other AI assistants. The project changed its name the first time after Anthropic threatened legal action over its similarity to Claude, and again because Steinberger said he preferred the new name.

In a blog post announcing his move to OpenAI, the Austrian developer said that while OpenClaw could potentially have been turned into a massive 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.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also posted on X that Steinberger, in his new role, will “drive the next generation of personal agents.” Altman added that OpenClaw will “live in a foundation as an open source project that OpenAI will continue to support.”