# LLM.txt - OpenClaw: How a Weekend Project Hit 190K GitHub Stars and Landed an OpenAI Acqui-Hire in 90 Days ## Article Metadata - **Title**: OpenClaw: How a Weekend Project Hit 190K GitHub Stars and Landed an OpenAI Acqui-Hire in 90 Days - **URL**: https://llmrumors.com/news/openclaw-openai-acquihire-agent-race - **Publication Date**: February 17, 2026 - **Reading Time**: 16 min read - **Tags**: OpenClaw, OpenAI, AI Agents, Peter Steinberger, Acqui-Hire, Open Source, AI Security - **Slug**: openclaw-openai-acquihire-agent-race ## Summary Peter Steinberger built OpenClaw as a weekend project in November 2025. By February 2026, it had 190,000+ GitHub stars, 1.5 million AI agents created, and acquisition offers from both Meta and OpenAI. Steinberger chose OpenAI, where OpenClaw will become core to ChatGPT's agent layer. But 512 security vulnerabilities and an 8.8 CVSS remote code execution flaw raise uncomfortable questions about what happens when the most popular AI agent framework is also the most exposed. ## Key Topics - OpenClaw - OpenAI - AI Agents - Peter Steinberger - Acqui-Hire - Open Source - AI Security ## Content Structure This article from LLM Rumors covers: - Technical implementation details - Industry comparison and competitive analysis - Financial analysis and cost breakdown - Comprehensive source documentation and references ## Full Content Preview TL;DR: OpenClaw, the open-source AI agent that lets you run autonomous tasks through WhatsApp, Telegram, and Slack, went from zero to 190,000+ GitHub stars in under 90 days, making it the 21st most-starred repo in GitHub history[1]. Creator Peter Steinberger turned down a mid-nine-figure offer from Meta and chose OpenAI, where he'll join the ChatGPT division while OpenClaw moves to an independent foundation[2]. Sam Altman called him "a genius with a lot of amazing ideas about the future"[3]. But security researchers found 512 vulnerabilities, 8 of them critical, including a CVSS 8.8 remote code execution flaw that exposed plaintext API keys and full system access on nearly 1,000 unprotected installations[4]. The real story of OpenClaw isn't the GitHub stars, and it isn't the acqui-hire. It's what this project reveals about where the AI industry is actually heading: the battle for the agent layer. Not who builds the smartest model, but who controls the software that sits between the model and the real world, the thing that books your flights, manages your email, and runs your shell commands. OpenAI didn't hire Peter Steinberger because OpenClaw is technologically groundbreaking. Some AI researchers have publicly questioned whether it is[5]. They hired him because OpenClaw proved, with 1.5 million AI agents created by real users, that autonomous personal agents aren't a research concept anymore. They're a product category. And OpenAI wants to own it. On February 14, 2026, Steinberger announced he's joining OpenAI. Sam Altman confirmed it the next day, stating that OpenClaw will "live in a foundation" and "we expect this will quickly become core to our product offerings"[2]. This is OpenAI's clearest signal yet that the next phase of AI competition isn't about model intelligence. It's about agent infrastructure: who builds the system that turns intelligence into action. Meta wanted the same thing and was willing to pay hundreds of millions for it[6]. From Weekend Hack to 190,000 Stars: The Fastest Rise in Open-Source History The timeline of OpenClaw's growth is genuinely without precedent. React took four years to reach 100,000 GitHub stars. TensorFlow took three. OpenClaw crossed that threshold in under eight weeks[1]. What makes this growth structurally different from typical open-source virality is that OpenClaw isn't a developer tool. It's a consumer product that happens to be open-source. The 1.5 million AI agents weren't created by engineers experimenting with a new framework. They were created by people who wanted an AI to manage their calendars, send WhatsApp messages, and browse the web on their behalf. Steinberger's stated mission is to "build an agent that even my mum can use"[2]. That consumer accessibility is precisely what makes it valuable to OpenAI. The Triple Rebrand: Clawd, Moltbot, OpenClaw The naming saga is worth understanding because it illustrates the gravitational pull that the major AI labs exert on the entire ecosystem. Steinberger originally named the project Clawdbot in November 2025, a deliberate play on Anthropic's Claude with a lobster theme[7]. The irony is thick. Anthropic's trademark enforcement on the name "Clawd" may have inadvertently pushed the project toward a rebrand that made it sound more like a serious platform ("OpenClaw") rather than a cute bot, and that professional positioning is arguably what attracted Meta and OpenAI's attention at the scale it did. The Architecture: Why OpenClaw Actually Works Here's what's often overlooked in the hype cycle: OpenClaw's architecture makes several genuinely smart technical decisions that explain its adoption, even if the unde... [Content continues - full article available at source URL] ## Citation Format **APA Style**: LLM Rumors. (2026). OpenClaw: How a Weekend Project Hit 190K GitHub Stars and Landed an OpenAI Acqui-Hire in 90 Days. Retrieved from https://llmrumors.com/news/openclaw-openai-acquihire-agent-race **Chicago Style**: LLM Rumors. "OpenClaw: How a Weekend Project Hit 190K GitHub Stars and Landed an OpenAI Acqui-Hire in 90 Days." Accessed February 17, 2026. https://llmrumors.com/news/openclaw-openai-acquihire-agent-race. ## Machine-Readable Tags #LLMRumors #AI #Technology #OpenClaw #OpenAI #AIAgents #PeterSteinberger #Acqui-Hire #OpenSource #AISecurity ## Content Analysis - **Word Count**: ~1,587 - **Article Type**: News Analysis - **Source Reliability**: High (Original Reporting) - **Technical Depth**: High - **Target Audience**: AI Professionals, Researchers, Industry Observers ## Related Context This article is part of LLM Rumors' coverage of AI industry developments, focusing on data practices, legal implications, and technological advances in large language models. --- Generated automatically for LLM consumption Last updated: 2026-02-17T00:35:49.642Z Source: LLM Rumors (https://llmrumors.com/news/openclaw-openai-acquihire-agent-race)