OpenAI Hires OpenClaw Founder in Bid to Strengthen Agentic Capabilities
In Focus
- OpenClaw launched in November 2025
- The platform allows users to use AI agents on computers and apps
- OpenAI says it will support OpenClaw as an open-source AI agent
OpenClaw founder, Peter Steinberger has joined OpenAI. The OpenClaw founder joins OpenAI at a time when AI agents have gained popularity due to their ability to automate tasks. Announcing the move, CEO Sam Altman said Steinberger will help the artificial intelligence company in driving the next generation of AI agents, Reuters reported.
“He is a genius with a lot of amazing ideas about the future of very smart agents interacting with each other to do very useful things for people. We expect this will quickly become core to our product offerings,” Altman said in a post on X.
In what appears to be OpenAI’s open-source strategy, Altman added that OpenClaw will “live in a foundation” and that his company will continue supporting it.
OpenClaw Integrates AI Agents to Apps
OpenClaw enables users to run autonomous AI agents on their computers. The platform also allows users to link the AI agents to apps like Telegram, WhatsApp, Slack, Discord, and Teams. As a result, OpenClaw has succeeded in making the complex technology accessible to consumers and enterprises.
The open-source AI agent platform launched in November 2025 and was previously known as Moltbot and Clawbot. Developed by Steinberger, the open-source AI agent became popular partly due to the attention it attracted on social media.
On GitHub, OpenClaw received over 100,00 stars and attracted 2 million visitors in one week. Its popularity was also driven by a preference for products that can make decisions and complete tasks autonomously.
The OpenClaw joins the ChatGPT maker at a time when the company is boosting OpenAI personal AI agents. Last year, the AI developer introduced a shopping research tool that curates product options for users on ChatGPT.
Industry Players Raise Security Risk Concerns
Despite the progress, industry players say OpenClaw could potentially be misused. Recently, the Product Heat at X, Nikita Bier said OpenClaw’s move to democratize spammy bots could make emails and iMessages unusable in the coming months.
China has also warned that OpenClaw could pose significant security risks, including exposing users to data breaches and cyberattacks if not configured properly. Explaining why he joined OpenAI, the OpenClaw founder highlighted the need to keep the AI open-source.
“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 said as cited by Reuters.
Growing AI Talent Spending
In recent years, AI firms have been spending huge amounts to attract top talent. In May 2025, OpenAI acquired Jony Ive’s startup for $6 billion. Google and Meta have also spent billions to hire AI developers and researchers.
The terms of Steinberger’s hire by OpenAI were not disclosed. However, the AI developer is focused on improving its agentic capabilities amidst growing competition from Anthropic and Google. The two companies have already rolled out AI models that are being used by enterprises to complete business tasks.
