**Peter Steinberger** leaves the open-source AI agent project Openclaw to join OpenAI and develop personal AI agents. The Openclaw project, which he built and has garnered over 180,000 stars on GitHub since its launch in November 2025, will transition to an independent foundation model that maintains the MIT license while being community-driven with the support of OpenAI.
What happened: Openclaw's new structure
This measure was announced on February 15, 2026, and the initial disclosure was made by OpenAI CEO **Sam Altman** through X. No mergers or acquisitions took place.
Steinberger is moving to focus on the development of multi-agent system design at OpenAI, while Openclaw continues as an open-source project under a new independent foundation. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Openclaw is an autonomous AI agent that operates on personal devices, handling real tasks without continuous oversight by integrating with platforms like Whatsapp, Telegram, Slack, and Discord. It performs inbox management, shell command execution, browser task automation, and scheduling using large language models from several sources, including Anthropic and OpenAI, employing an active 'heartbeat' system for this purpose.
The project's growth process has not been smooth. Steinberger revealed in a Lex Fridman interview that they are facing losses of $10,000 to $20,000 per month, and due to trademark disputes, incidents occurred where scammers intercepted accounts and packages, nearly derailing the project.
Both OpenAI and Meta have made acquisition offers, with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg reportedly reaching out directly via Whatsapp. Altman emphasized access to computing resources and long-term alignment, which appears to be a significant factor influencing Steinberger's decision.
On the same day, Moonshot AI publicly integrated Kimi Claw, which implements the Openclaw framework in a browser-native, cloud-hosted manner, on kimi.com. This service runs on Moonshot's Kimi K2.5 model, offering 40GB of cloud storage, over 5,000 community skills, and agent functionality that operates 24/7.
Critics point out that since Kimi Claw is a service hosted in China, it further highlights data sovereignty and geopolitical issues already being discussed in Washington policy circles.
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Why it matters: Intensification of agent competition
The community's reaction is mixed. Some developers see this movement as recognition of Openclaw's achievements and a pathway to expand agent-based systems within mainstream products like ChatGPT.
Others worry that entanglement with big corporations could undermine the 'community-first' spirit that drove Openclaw's explosive growth. Some critics have referred to this as 'Closedclaw'.
This development showcases a macro shift in AI strategy. Competition has moved beyond simple model benchmarking to who owns deployment power, ecosystem control, and the automation layers of everyday digital life. OpenAI is focused on talent integration, Moonshot on cost-effectiveness and frictionless hosting, and the Openclaw foundation maintains openness and independence in a more central role in agent discussions than before.
If personal AI agents become the next-generation interface layer, decisions made in February 2026 may be recorded as a turning point.
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