AI IDE List

Peter Steinberger

@steipete · Bootstrapped founder · Open-source builder · Former indie developer

Bootstrapped PSPDFKit to a nine-figure exit, then built OpenClaw. At OpenAI since February 2026.

Website X GitHub Last verified Oct 8, 2026 · 7 sources

Peter Steinberger Overview

Peter Steinberger bootstrapped PSPDFKit (now Nutrient) to a nine-figure exit, burned out and retired, until AI got good and pulled him back in.[1] He then made OpenClaw, an open-source personal AI agent that became GitHub's most-starred software project.[1] Since February 2026 he has worked at OpenAI on bringing agents to everyone.[1]

What Peter Built

OpenClaw

ActiveOpen source

Creator · Personal AI agent

Open-source personal AI agent, stewarded by the independent OpenClaw Foundation.

OpenClaw in the AI IDE List directorySource code

PSPDFKit (now Nutrient)

Active

Co-founder · Document SDK

PDF and document SDK. Bootstrapped by its co-founders until a strategic investment from Insight Partners in 2021.

CodexBar

ActiveOpen source

Creator · macOS menu bar app

Shows AI coding provider usage limits and reset countdowns in the macOS menu bar.

CodexBar in the AI IDE List directorySource code

How Peter Builds

In mid-2025 he wrote about running his work through Claude Code.[2] By October 2025 he had moved to Codex CLI as his daily driver, building mostly with gpt-5-codex on medium settings.[3]

I run between 3-8 in parallel in a 3x3 terminal grid, most of them in the same folder, some experiments go in separate folders.

[3] steipete.me

He also built CodexBar, a menu bar app that tracks usage limits for AI coding providers.[4]

Business Model

PSPDFKit sold a commercial document SDK. In September 2021 Insight Partners made a strategic investment of more than €100 million, and Peter and co-founder Martin Schürrer stepped back from full-time roles.[5] OpenClaw is MIT-licensed and stewarded by the independent OpenClaw Foundation, a nonprofit supported by donors.[1][6]

Timeline

  • Insight Partners invests in PSPDFKit; the co-founders step back.[5]
  • Publishes "Claude Code is My Computer".[2]
  • Describes moving to Codex CLI as his daily driver.[3]
  • Announces he is joining OpenAI and moving OpenClaw to a foundation.[7]

Lessons

My next mission is to build an agent that even my mum can use.

[7] steipete.me

Further Reading

Sources

  1. [1]About · steipete.me
  2. [2]Claude Code is My Computer · steipete.me · Jun 3, 2025
  3. [3]Just Talk To It - the no-bs Way of Agentic Engineering · steipete.me · Oct 14, 2025
  4. [4]steipete/CodexBar · GitHub
  5. [5]PSPDFKit Announces €100 Million Strategic Investment From Insight Partners to Fuel Growth · Nutrient · Sep 30, 2021
  6. [6]openclaw/openclaw · GitHub
  7. [7]OpenClaw, OpenAI and the future · steipete.me · Feb 15, 2026