OpenClaw Joins OpenAI: Sam Altman Moves Faster Than Zuckerberg

Peter Steinberger, the founder of OpenClaw, announced on his personal blog that he will join OpenAI with the goal of "bringing agents to everyone." At the same time, the OpenClaw project will be restructured as a foundation to remain open‑source and independently operated.

Sam Altman quickly confirmed the news on Twitter, calling Steinberger "a genius with many surprising ideas about how future agents can collaborate to do useful things for people" and stating that this work will soon become a core part of OpenAI's products, with continued support for OpenClaw.

Steinberger reflected that his initial foray into AI was "just for fun and to inspire others," never expecting the project to generate such a wave. He emphasized that, although OpenClaw could become a large company, his excitement lies in building world‑changing tools rather than running a big enterprise, and he sees partnership with OpenAI as the fastest path to that goal.

He stressed the importance of preserving OpenClaw's open‑source nature and freedom. After discussions with several labs, he concluded that OpenAI is best positioned to advance his vision and expand impact, offering a firm commitment and sponsorship while ensuring the project's long‑term independence through the foundation model.

Community reactions varied: some praised the move as OpenAI finally living up to its "open" name and expressed excitement for upcoming releases like "openclaw‑high‑local‑fast‑4.5," while others critiqued the strategy, suggesting that supporting open source is a clever monopoly design that lets OpenAI control the agent layer while keeping the core closed.

Users also humorously forecasted future version milestones, ending with Steinberger’s motto "The claw is the law," hinting that the project will continue its unique vitality under the new structure.