OpenClaw founder Steinberger joins OpenAI, open-source bot becomes foundation

Peter Steinberger, the founder of OpenClaw, is joining OpenAI, and the open-source bot is becoming a foundation, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said on Sunday.

"Peter Steinberger is joining OpenAI to drive the next generation of personal ‌agents," Altman ⁠said ⁠in a post on X, adding "OpenClaw will live in ​a foundation as an open source project that OpenAI will ​continue to support."

OpenClaw, formerly known as Clawdbot or Moltbot, is what fans describe as an assistant ​that can stay on top ⁠of emails, ‌deal with insurers, check in ​for flights ​and perform myriad other tasks.

OpenClaw has ⁠had a viral rise since it was ​first introduced in November, receiving more than ​100,000 stars on code repository GitHub and drawing 2 million visitors in a single week, according to a blog post by Steinberger.

OpenClaw's growing popularity has attracted scrutiny, with China's industry ministry ‌warning the open-source AI agent could pose significant security risks when improperly configured ​and expose ​users to ⁠cyberattacks and data breaches.

"It's always been important to me that OpenClaw stays open source and given the freedom ​to flourish. Ultimately, I felt OpenAI was the best place to continue pushing on my vision and expand its reach," Steinberger posted in a blog on Sunday.