Background

Peter Steinberger created an AI personal assistant that gained rapid popularity under several names, ultimately becoming known as OpenClaw. The assistant was promoted as an "AI that actually does things," handling tasks such as calendar management, flight booking, and interacting within a network of other AI assistants. The name changed after a legal threat from Anthropic over similarity to its Claude model, and later changed again because Steinberger preferred the new branding.

Decision to Join OpenAI

In a blog post announcing his move, Steinberger explained that while he could have turned OpenClaw into a large company, "It’s not really exciting for me." He added, "What I want is to change the world, not build a large company[,] and teaming up with OpenAI is the fastest way to bring this to everyone." This statement reflects his priority on broad impact rather than corporate growth.

OpenAI’s Role

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman responded on X, noting that Steinberger will "drive the next generation of personal agents." Altman also said that OpenClaw will "live in a foundation as an open source project that OpenAI will continue to support," ensuring the technology remains accessible to the community while benefiting from OpenAI’s resources.

Implications for the AI Landscape

The move positions OpenAI to deepen its work on personal AI agents, leveraging Steinberger’s experience in building a widely used assistant. By keeping OpenClaw open source, the collaboration aims to foster innovation and allow developers to build upon the existing platform. Steinberger’s shift underscores a broader trend of entrepreneurs joining larger AI firms to accelerate the deployment of their ideas at scale.

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