OpenAI has recruited Peter Steinberger, the creator of the viral autonomous agent OpenClaw, to help lead its push into personal AI assistants, reports Reuters.
Steinberger, whose open-source project became an internet sensation in November, announced the move in a blog post, stating his goal is to “build an agent that even my mum can use”.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman confirmed the hire on social media platform X on Sunday, noting that Steinberger would help “drive the next generation of personal agents” at the company.
Playground to powerhouse
Formerly known as Clawdbot or Moltbot, OpenClaw allows users to automate complex digital tasks, such as managing emails, negotiating with insurers, or checking in for flights. The project saw a meteoric rise, amassing more than 100,000 stars on GitHub and attracting two million visitors in a single week.
“The last month was a whirlwind, never would I have expected that my playground project would create such waves,” Steinberger wrote. “The internet got weird again”.
Despite the tool’s success, Steinberger rejected the idea of turning OpenClaw into a standalone company.
“I did the whole creating-a-company game already, poured 13 years of my life into it and learned a lot,” he explained. “What I want is to change the world… and teaming up with OpenAI is the fastest way to bring this to everyone.”
A new foundation
While Steinberger joins the AI giant, OpenClaw itself will remain independent. The project is being transitioned into a foundation to ensure it remains open-source and “given the freedom to flourish”.
Steinberger confirmed that OpenAI is already sponsoring the project and has made commitments to allow him to continue dedicating time to it. “It will stay a place for thinkers, hackers and people that want a way to own their data,” he wrote.
The rapid adoption of the agent has drawn both scrutiny and praise. China’s industry ministry recently warned that the open-source agent could pose significant security risks if improperly configured, potentially exposing users to data breaches and cyberattacks.
Steinberger acknowledged that scaling the technology safely requires “a lot more thought” and access to the “very latest models and research,” which he believes OpenAI can provide.
