OpenAI has hired the creator of the fast-rising AI agent OpenClaw, signaling a deeper push into software designed to autonomously complete tasks for users as competition in the generative artificial intelligence sector intensifies.
Chief executive Sam Altman said Sunday that Austrian developer Peter Steinberger — who built the viral personal assistant — is joining the company.
The service itself will remain open-source and supported externally.
In a post on X, Altman wrote that Steinberger is “joining OpenAI to drive the next generation of personal agents.”
“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,” Altman wrote. “We expect this will quickly become core to our product offerings.”
Altman added that OpenClaw will “live in a foundation as an open source project that OpenAI will continue to support.”
A viral agent built to act, not just respond
OpenClaw, launched last month, quickly spread online after gaining attention on social media and among businesses experimenting with automation.
Previously known as Clawdbot and Moltbot, the product promotes itself as an AI assistant capable of performing real-world digital actions — from managing calendars and booking flights to interacting with other AI assistants.
Steinberger described his motivations in a blog post explaining his decision to join the company.
“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,” Steinberger said.
The product’s name changed twice: first after Anthropic threatened legal action over its similarity to Claude, and later because Steinberger preferred the new name.
OpenClaw’s popularity has been fueled by rising interest in “agentic” AI — systems designed not just to generate text or images but to make decisions and take actions without continuous human input.
The service has spread quickly in China, where it can be paired with locally developed language models such as DeepSeek and integrated with messaging platforms through customized setups.
Chinese search engine Baidu plans to give users of its primary smartphone app direct access, according to a spokesperson cited in the report.
Talent wars intensify across AI companies
Financial terms of the hiring were not disclosed, but the move reflects escalating competition for AI talent.
Companies across the sector have spent heavily to recruit developers and researchers capable of advancing autonomous AI systems.
In May, OpenAI acquired iPhone designer Jony Ive’s AI devices startup io for more than $6 billion.
Rival firms Meta and Google have also invested billions in hiring and research initiatives.
OpenAI, recently valued at $500 billion, is seeking to expand its product capabilities as enterprise adoption of AI accelerates.
It faces strong competition from Google and Anthropic, whose systems are increasingly being deployed to handle business workflows.
Anthropic’s Claude has gained traction through its Claude Code tools, and the company recently released Claude Opus 4.6, which it said improves coding performance, task persistence, and professional-grade output.
Anthropic was valued at $380 billion in a fundraising round completed earlier in the week.
Despite its rapid adoption, OpenClaw has also raised concerns among some researchers.
Because the system is highly customizable and open, critics warn it could introduce cybersecurity risks if modified improperly or maliciously.
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