Peter Steinberger, the creator of OpenClaw, (AKA MoltBot and ClawdBot), has joined OpenAI with his AI assistant tool set to be maintained as part of an open source foundation, Reuters reports. OpenAI is keen to integrate some of the real-world functions of his open-source AI tool, leveraging AI agents to act as personal assistants to act out day-to-day busywork for the user.
“Peter Steinberger is joining OpenAI to drive the next generation of personal agents,” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman posted on Twitter/X.
“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.”
A high-profile hire
Steinberger is a high-profile get for OpenAI, and likely one envied by some of the AI developers' rivals. Steinberger's OpenClaw AI assistant tool became a sensation in AI circles in January, when users created a social media platform named Moltbook, just for the AI agents to post amongst themselves. Originally launched in November 2025, the tool allowed users to create their own AI smart assistants and integrate them with apps like calendars and email accounts, while allowing interaction and command prompts to be sent via chat tools like Telegram and Whatsapp.
Designed to be easy to use, OpenClaw is compatible with over 50 external services, can fill in forms, and execute scripts. It's designed to work without a dedicated app, but there are companion apps for macOS, iOS, and Android that add additional features like camera access and audio recording capabilities.
Through its mix of easy-access through local hardware compatibility and viral news stories about the Moltbook platform, OpenClaw generated significant interest. By the start of February this year, OpenClaw had created 1.5 million agents, with running costs quickly reaching $20,000 a month.
That's less likely to be a problem now. Although OpenAI or Steinberger has disclosed how much he's being paid, OpenAI isn't above spending big to acquire specific individuals, so he's likely been well compensated.
Unsurprisingly for an AI developer headhunted by one of the world's leading AI companies, Steinberger is bullish on the move. He plans to focus on developing agentic AI that are so simple "even [his] mum can use [them]."
“When I started exploring AI, my goal was to have fun and inspire people. And here we are, the lobster is taking over the world,” Steinberger said in a blog post.
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