“In Europe, I get Insulted”: OpenClaw Creator Peter Steinberger On Why He Joined OpenAI

The move of OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger to OpenAI in San Francisco has shaken not only Austria, but the entire AI world. As reported, Steinberger will work closely with Sam Altman there to bring AI agents to the masses. While 2025 had already been declared the “year of AI agents,” it didn’t come to pass; only through OpenClaw and the very open approach of the project to the topic—also with regard to data protection and security—does 2026 now seem to be gaining significantly more momentum.

Meanwhile, in Austria and Europe, there is much discussion about why the continent has once again lost talent to the USA; there is also speculation about whether Steinberger is the first person to have become a billionaire through an AI project alone. Nothing is confirmed, but theoretically it is possible. After all, OpenAI is valued by some investors at around 800 billion dollars, so Altman could certainly have lured the native Upper Austrian with a generous stock package.

“At OpenAI, most people work 6-7 days a week. Here, that’s illegal”

But the money and resources—OpenAI can offer Steinberger considerable computing power in the form of GPUs and top talent for his vision—alone were not what moved Steinberger to make the switch to San Francisco to join the ChatGPT maker. When asked on X why Europe couldn’t hold onto its talent, Steinberger replied:

“In the USA, most people are enthusiastic. In Europe, I get insulted, people shout REGULATION and RESPONSIBILITY. And if I really build a company here, then I have to fight with issues like investment protection laws, employee participation, and crippling labor regulations. At OAI, most people work 6-7 days a week and are paid accordingly. Here, that’s illegal.”

In the USA at OpenAI, Steinberger apparently expects to advance his vision faster because there is not only more money or talent there, but also fewer hurdles when it comes to regulation. The security issue will certainly occupy Steinberger at OpenAI, because the company is currently looking particularly for infrastructure and security engineers. That sounds very much like they are trying to build a more secure version of OpenClaw.

Mindset in Austria doesn’t suit Steinberger

When asked whether pursuing an open-source project in Europe would make more sense, Steinberger answers: “Every place has something great—you can’t look at it that brutally. For me, the USA makes more sense right now.” The mindset in Austria doesn’t suit him. While people in the USA think what he built with OpenClaw is cool, in Austria they would rather warn him not to work too much and not to fall into burnout.

Steinberger apparently didn’t want to wait for progress in the EU regarding startups. Austrian Andreas Klinger, a good acquaintance of Steinberger’s, is currently very active in Brussels to introduce a new corporate legal form called EU-INC, so that startups can be founded much faster and more cheaply. Steinberger, as an experienced startup founder—he sold PSPDFKit several years ago for a three-digit million amount—is not considering another founding in Europe. “EU-INC gave me hope, but it seems to be fizzling out, being watered down, there is too much selfish national interest that ultimately harms everyone.”