February 17, 2026 OpenClaw founder Peter Steinberger is joining OpenAI, CEO Sam Altman said on Sunday. The viral open-source agent will be spun out into an independent foundation backed by Open AI. According to Altman, the project will remain open source, with OpenAI continuing to support its development while Steinberger works on the company’s next wave of personal AI agents.
The move signals OpenAI’s growing focus on autonomous “personal agent” software, tools designed to handle real-world tasks such as managing email, booking travel and interacting with services on a user’s behalf. OpenClaw has quickly become one of the most visible projects in that category.
Originally launched under earlier names including Clawdbot and Moltbot, OpenClaw gained traction after debuting in November. The project has since drawn more than 100,000 stars on GitHub and attracted millions of visitors in a single week.
Steinberger has positioned the software as a practical assistant capable of navigating everyday digital workflows, from coordinating travel logistics to managing administrative interactions. Its rapid growth has made it a reference point in the emerging race to build persistent AI agents that can act across apps and services rather than simply generating text.
OpenAI’s decision to place the project under a foundation structure suggests a hybrid model that blends open-source governance with commercial backing. By supporting the project externally while recruiting its creator internally, OpenAI may gain both technical momentum and goodwill among developers.
The announcement also comes with scrutiny. Regulators in China have previously warned that open-source autonomous agents could introduce new cybersecurity risks if deployed improperly, including potential exposure to data breaches or misuse in automated attacks.
Steinberger said maintaining OpenClaw’s open-source identity was a priority, describing the foundation model as a way to expand its reach while preserving its original ethos. The transition places him inside one of the world’s most influential AI labs at a time when major players are racing to define the next generation of agentic software.
For OpenAI, the hire reinforces its pivot toward AI systems that act independently across digital environments. Whether the foundation model can preserve OpenClaw’s grassroots momentum while integrating into a larger ecosystem will likely shape how the open-agent movement evolves.
