OpenAI hires OpenClaw founder to lead push into AI agents

The creator of the viral open-source project OpenClaw, Peter Steinberger, has been hired by OpenAI, as the $500 billion startup intensifies its push into autonomous AI agents. 

Steinberger will be part of OpenAI’s Codex team, tasked with developing the next generation of personal AI assistants capable of performing complex digital tasks.

Over the past month, OpenClaw, formerly known as Clawdbot, became an internet sensation. The software allows users to run AI agents locally on their own hardware, connecting them to applications like WhatsApp, Slack, and iMessage to manage emails and calendars.

By early February, the project had generated over 1.5 million agents, some of which communicate with each other on a social network called “Moltbook”—even jokingly founding a religion called “Crustafarianism.”

Sam Altman, OpenAI CEO, confirmed the hire on Sunday, calling Steinberger a “genius” and noting that his work on smart agents would soon become “core” to OpenAI’s product offerings. The move signals a strategic shift towards “multi-agent” systems, where AI tools interact autonomously to complete work.

This comes as OpenAI faces rigid competition from competitors such as Anthropic, which recently launched its own automation tool, Claude Cowork.

Despite the hiring, both parties confirmed that OpenClaw will remain an independent foundation supported by OpenAI. “The future is going to be extremely multi-agent, and it’s important to us to support open source as part of that,” Altman said.

However, the rise of autonomous agents has lured scrutiny. Security experts have cautioned that granting such agents access to sensitive financial and personal data poses consequential privacy risks if not managed securely.

About Peter Steinberger

Steinberger, an Austrian developer, built the initial prototype in just one hour. He expressed relief at forming a partnership, highlighting the high costs of managing the project alone. “My next mission is to create an agent that even my mum can use,” Steinberger stated in a blog post announcing the collaboration. “My goal is to change the world, not to build a large company… and now it seems the lobster is taking over the world.”