ClawCon in Manhattan spotlights OpenClaw and its move to a foundation

In short: A Manhattan event called ClawCon drew fans and developers of OpenClaw, as the project grows fast and its creator heads to OpenAI while keeping OpenClaw independent.

What happened

ClawCon, a fan and developer meetup in Manhattan, brought hundreds of people together to celebrate OpenClaw. The event leaned into the project’s “claw” theme, including lobster outfits, demos, and workshops.

OpenClaw is a free, open-source AI assistant that acts more like a “digital employee” than a chat box. Instead of only answering questions, it can take actions, like checking your calendar, helping with flight check-ins, or controlling apps such as email and a web browser. It often runs through messaging apps like WhatsApp or Telegram, so you can “text” it tasks the way you would text a coworker.

Its creator, Austrian developer Peter Steinberger, built it in late 2025 after experimenting with many AI projects. OpenClaw took off quickly in early 2026, reaching over 145,000 GitHub stars and drawing about 2 million visitors in a week, according to coverage. GitHub stars are a simple public signal that many people are interested in a software project (like bookmarks for code).

Steinberger announced in February 2026 that he is joining OpenAI. He also said OpenClaw will not be absorbed into OpenAI. Instead, it will move into a foundation and stay open-source, with OpenAI continuing to support it.

Why it matters

Tools like OpenClaw can do real work on your computer, which can save time but also raises risks if the tool makes a mistake or is tricked into doing the wrong thing. The “local-first” approach, where data stays on your own device, is part of why some people trust it more, but the move toward closer ties with OpenAI is already stirring debate.

Source: The Verge AI