Crypto Scams and Claw Bans: Steinberger’s Wild AI Ride

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In the dusty corners of the digital frontier, where men like Steinberger roam with their dreams and their code, a tale unfolds-one of bans, scams, and the elusive promise of crypto riches. Steinberger, with a voice as dry as a summer wind, confirmed the moderation approach, declaring the server operates under rules as strict as a preacher’s sermon, with a blanket prohibition on crypto talk. Later, with a shrug that said more than words ever could, he offered to restore a user’s access, though the no-crypto policy stood firm, like a stubborn mule in a barren field.

And Steinberger, ever the restless soul, announced he’s joined the team at OpenAI, proclaiming, “I’m joining OpenAI to work on bringing agents to everyone. OpenClaw will move to a foundation and stay open and independent.” A man with a foot in two worlds, one wonders if he’ll ever find solid ground.

The crypto ban, it seems, was born of a January rebranding fiasco-a tale as old as the hills, where scammers circled like vultures. During the transition to OpenClaw, they snatched up abandoned social handles like thieves in the night, peddling a Solana-based token, $CLAWD, as if it were the second coming. The token soared to $16 million in market cap, a fleeting mirage in the desert of greed, before crashing 90% when Steinberger denied any part in the charade. “I won’t launch a cryptocurrency,” he warned, his voice cutting through the noise like a knife through butter. “Any token claiming affiliation is as fake as a three-dollar bill.”

OpenClaw’s growth has been as rapid as a wildfire, its GitHub repository boasting 218,000 stars and 41,000 forks-a testament to the hunger of developers in this brave new world. Introduced on January 29, 2026, after a series of name changes that smacked of trademark troubles, Steinberger described it as a local-first, open agent platform, working across messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, and Slack. A jack-of-all-trades, if you will, in a world that demands nothing less.

But the episode lays bare a broader tension in the AI frontier: viral adoption is a double-edged sword, attracting speculators like flies to honey before teams can even saddle up to manage the chaos. Brand impersonation, token copycats, and moderation risks-it’s enough to make a man question his faith in humanity. OpenClaw’s response? A hard line, drawn in the digital sand, inside official channels. No crypto talk allowed, lest the vultures return.

And so the story goes, a cautionary tale of ambition, greed, and the wild west of AI. Steinberger, with his bans and his dreams, rides on, a modern-day cowboy in a world that’s anything but tame.

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2026-02-23 02:56