#491 – OpenClaw: The Viral AI Agent that Broke the Internet – Peter Steinberger

Peter Steinberger is the creator of OpenClaw, an open-source AI agent framework that’s the fastest-growing project in GitHub history. Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep491-sc See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc. **Transcript:** https://lexfridman.com/peter-steinberger-transcript **CONTACT LEX:** **Feedback** – give feedback to Lex: https://lexfridman.com/survey **AMA** – submit questions, videos or call-in: https://lexfridman.com/ama **Hiring** – join our team: https://lexfridman.com/hiring **Other** – other ways to get in touch: https://lexfridman.com/contact **EPISODE LINKS:** Peter’s X: https://x.com/steipete Peter’s GitHub: https://github.com/steipete Peter’s Website: https://steipete.com Peter’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steipete OpenClaw Website: https://openclaw.ai OpenClaw GitHub: https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw OpenClaw Discord: https://discord.gg/openclaw **SPONSORS:** To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts: **Perplexity:** AI-powered answer engine. Go to https://perplexity.ai/ **Quo:** Phone system (calls, texts, contacts) for businesses. Go to https://quo.com/lex **CodeRabbit:** AI-powered code reviews. Go to https://coderabbit.ai/lex **Fin:** AI agent for customer service. Go to https://fin.ai/lex **Blitzy:** AI agent for large enterprise codebases. Go to https://blitzy.com/lex **Shopify:** Sell stuff online. Go to https://shopify.com/lex **LMNT:** Zero-sugar electrolyte drink mix. Go to https://drinkLMNT.com/lex **OUTLINE:** (00:00) – Introduction (03:51) – Sponsors, Comments, and Reflections (15:29) – OpenClaw origin story (18:48) – Mind-blowing moment (28:15) – Why OpenClaw went viral (32:12) – Self-modifying AI agent (36:57) – Name-change drama (54:07) – Moltbook saga (1:02:26) – OpenClaw security concerns (1:11:07) – How to code with AI agents (1:42:02) – Programming setup (1:48:45) – GPT Codex 5.3 vs Claude Opus 4.6 (1:57:52) – Best AI agent for programming (2:19:52) – Life story and career advice (2:23:49) – Money and happiness (2:27:41) – Acquisition offers from OpenAI and Meta (2:44:51) – How OpenClaw works (2:56:09) – AI slop (3:02:13) – AI agents will replace 80% of apps (3:10:50) – Will AI replace programmers? (3:22:50) – Future of OpenClaw community