OpenClaw Founder Joins OpenAI: Will Multi-Agent AI Survive Its Own Messy Reality?

The AI agent wars heat up as OpenAI poaches OpenClaw's founder, but can multi-agent systems survive their own chaos?

Sam Altman announced Peter Steinberger, founder of OpenClaw, is joining OpenAI, stating: "the future is going to be extremely multi-agent" and this capability will "quickly become core to our product offerings." Steinberger, who previously described his vision for OpenClaw as "not really exciting for me...

What I want is to change the world, not build a large company," will now work under OpenAI's umbrella while OpenClaw remains open-source under an OpenAI-supported foundation.

OpenClaw's transition raises urgent questions for small business owners evaluating AI agent tools. The platform previously faced 400+ malicious skills on ClawHub and human infiltration of its AI social network MoltBook—issues that could directly impact agent collaboration claims.

While OpenAI's move follows high-profile talent losses to Meta and a public falling-out with Elon Musk, the practical verification of agent collaboration remains a critical hurdle for businesses.

For small business owners, the key challenge lies in verifying whether multi-agent systems can maintain security and functionality amid real-world chaos. OpenClaw's documented vulnerabilities suggest that even open-source models require rigorous validation before deployment in sensitive workflows.

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