What the OpenClaw moment means for enterprises: 5 big takeaways
FeaturedCarl Franzen February 6, 2026 Credit: VentureBeat made with OpenAI GPT-Image-1.5The “OpenClaw moment” represents the first time autonomous AI agents have successfully “escaped the lab” and moved into the hands of the general workforce. Originally developed by Austrian engineer Peter Steinberger as a hobby project called “Clawdbot” in November 2025, the framework went through a rapid branding evolution to “Moltbot” before settling on “OpenClaw” in late January 2026. Unlike previous chatbots, OpenClaw is designed with “hands”—the ability to execute shell commands, manage local files, and navigate messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Slack with persistent, root-level permissions.This capability — and the uptake of what was then called Moltbot by many AI power users on X —…
