OpenClaw Founder Leaves Europe for OpenAI Amid Regulatory Pressures

On February 15, 2026, Peter Steinberger, founder of the open-source personal AI assistant OpenClaw, officially joined OpenAI in San Francisco, marking a significant shift in the global AI landscape. Steinberger, a veteran software engineer and former Apple developer, built OpenClaw as a decentralized, privacy-first AI agent capable of interacting across messaging platforms—including WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, and iMessage—to perform real-world tasks like managing calendars, sending emails, and checking into flights. According to Business Insider, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman confirmed the acquisition of OpenClaw’s foundational codebase, which will be integrated into OpenAI’s next-generation agent ecosystem.

Steinberger’s decision to leave Europe follows mounting regulatory friction. In interviews and public statements, he criticized the European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) for imposing burdensome compliance requirements on open-source AI projects. "The EU treats every AI tool like a nuclear reactor," Steinberger told Business Insider. "We were spending more time on legal documentation than on improving our core functionality. We couldn’t even deploy new skills without submitting them for pre-approval. That’s not innovation—it’s immobilization."

OpenClaw’s architecture allowed users to run the AI entirely on their own devices, minimizing data exposure and aligning with GDPR principles. Yet, despite its privacy-centric design, the project faced scrutiny from corporate IT departments. Wired reports that major tech firms—including Meta, Microsoft, and Google—banned internal use of OpenClaw in early 2026 due to security concerns. The AI’s ability to autonomously interact with corporate communication channels raised alarms over potential data exfiltration, credential harvesting, and unauthorized API access. Although OpenClaw partnered with VirusTotal in January 2026 to scan all third-party skills for malware, enterprise security teams remained unconvinced.

"We weren’t building a threat," Steinberger explained in a Reddit AMA. "We were building a tool that empowers individuals to automate their digital lives. But corporations and regulators saw a black box. They didn’t understand that the user owns the model, the data, and the memory. That’s the whole point."

Meanwhile, the U.S. regulatory environment offered a more permissive climate. With no federal AI law equivalent to the EU’s AI Act, and states like California taking a hands-off approach to open-source AI, Steinberger found the conditions ripe for rapid iteration. OpenAI’s offer included not only financial backing but also access to its research infrastructure and legal team—resources critical for scaling a project like OpenClaw without being bogged down by compliance overhead.

The move has sparked debate across the tech community. European policymakers argue that regulations are necessary to prevent uncontrolled AI deployment in sensitive environments. "We can’t allow unvetted AI agents to operate inside corporate chat systems," said EU Commission spokesperson Elise Moreau. "OpenClaw’s capabilities, even if well-intentioned, represent a systemic risk."

But proponents of open-source AI see Steinberger’s departure as a warning sign. "This isn’t just about one developer leaving," said Dr. Lena Kim, AI policy analyst at the Center for Digital Innovation. "It’s about talent migration. If Europe continues to prioritize risk aversion over innovation, we’ll lose the next generation of AI builders to the U.S., Singapore, or elsewhere."

OpenClaw’s open-source repository remains publicly accessible on GitHub, though Steinberger has stepped back from active maintenance. The project’s community now manages updates, with contributions from over 1,200 developers worldwide. As OpenAI begins incorporating OpenClaw’s agent architecture into its own products, the world will watch to see whether the U.S. can sustain the innovation that Europe once nurtured—or whether regulatory caution has permanently reshaped the future of AI development.