On February 15, 2026, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced on X that Peter Steinberger — the Austrian developer behind the viral open-source AI agent OpenClaw — is joining the company to "drive the next generation of personal agents."
What Happened
Altman called Steinberger a "genius" and confirmed that OpenClaw will "live in a foundation as an open source project that OpenAI will contribute to and help fund." The move comes after Steinberger reportedly turned down offers from Meta and other major tech companies.
Steinberger himself wrote on his blog that this was not an easy decision. OpenClaw grew from a weekend hack called "WhatsApp Relay" into a project with over 100,000 GitHub stars in just two months. Walking away from day-to-day leadership of something that personal is never simple.
Why OpenAI?
According to multiple reports, Steinberger chose OpenAI because of alignment on vision: building AI agents that are truly personal, run locally, and respect user privacy. OpenAI's resources and research capabilities give him the platform to push that vision further than any indie project could.
The competitive context matters too. Meta, Google, and others have been aggressively recruiting top AI talent. Steinberger picking OpenAI is a signal about where he sees the most potential for agent-first AI development.
What Happens to OpenClaw?
This is the part the community cares about most — and the news is good:
- •OpenClaw becomes a foundation. The project transitions to an independent, open-source foundation.
- •OpenAI funds it. OpenAI will contribute resources and funding to keep the project alive and growing.
- •It stays open source. The MIT license and community-driven development model remain unchanged.
- •Community maintainers step up. The existing contributor base will continue to drive the project forward.
In short: OpenClaw isn't going anywhere. It's getting a more sustainable governance structure.
What This Means for the Community
For the Claw Crew, this is a bittersweet moment. The creator is moving on, but the project is stronger than ever. A foundation model means less bus-factor risk, more structured governance, and corporate backing without corporate control.
Steinberger's move to OpenAI also validates what this community has been building. When the CEO of the world's most prominent AI company calls your project's creator a genius and hires him to lead their agent strategy — that says something about the quality of work happening here.
Looking Forward
The lobster keeps molting. OpenClaw as a foundation means the project can outlive any single contributor, including its creator. And with Steinberger now inside OpenAI, the ideas that shaped OpenClaw will influence the next wave of AI agents at a much larger scale.
Stay tuned. The best is yet to come.