OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced this week that Peter Steinberger, founder of the widely popular OpenClaw productivity tool, will join the company to lead its personal agent development. The OpenClaw project itself will transition to an independent open-source foundation, with OpenAI pledging ongoing support.
Steinberger, whose AI assistant gained viral traction for automating tasks like email management and travel coordination, confirmed the move in a blog post on Sunday. "OpenAI provides the ideal ecosystem to scale OpenClaw's capabilities while preserving its open-source ethos," he wrote. The tool has amassed over 100,000 GitHub stars since its November 2025 launch, attracting 2 million users in one week at its peak.
Altman emphasized the strategic alignment in a social media statement: "Peter's vision for AI-driven productivity complements our roadmap. OpenClaw's foundation model ensures community-driven innovation continues." Analysts suggest the partnership could accelerate enterprise adoption of AI workflow tools across Asia's tech sectors.
While OpenClaw will operate independently under the new foundation structure, its integration with OpenAI's infrastructure is expected to enhance cross-platform compatibility. The move comes as Asian markets show increased demand for customizable AI solutions, particularly in Japan and South Korea's fintech industries.
