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Full Interview: Clawdbot’s Peter Steinberger Makes First Public Appearance Since Launch
24 segments available
This is our full interview with Peter Steinberger, his first public appearance since launching Clawdbot, recorded live on TBPN. TBPN is a live tech talk show hosted by John Coogan and Jordi Hays, streaming weekdays from 11–2 PT on X and YouTube, with full episodes posted to podcast platforms immediately after. Described by The New York Times as “Silicon Valley’s newest obsession,” TBPN has recently featured Mark Zuckerberg, Sam Altman, Mark Cuban, and Satya Nadella. TBPN.com is made possible by: Ramp - https://Ramp.com AppLovin - https://axon.ai Cognition - https://cognition.ai Console - https://console.com CrowdStrike - https://crowdstrike.com ElevenLabs - https://elevenlabs.io Figma - https://figma.com Fin - https://fin.ai Gemini - https://gemini.google.com Graphite - https://graphite.com Gusto - https://gusto.com/tbpn Labelbox - https://labelbox.com Lambda - https://lambda.ai Linear - https://linear.app MongoDB - https://mongodb.com NYSE - https://nyse.com Okta - https://www.okta.com Phantom - https://phantom.com/cash Plaid - https://plaid.com Public - https://public.com Railway - https://railway.com Ramp - https://ramp.com Restream - https://restream.io Sentry - https://sentry.io Shopify - https://shopify.com Turbopuffer - https://turbopuffer.com Vanta - https://vanta.com Vibe - https://vibe.co Sentry - https://sentry.io Cisco - https://www.ciscoaisummit.com/ai-virtual-summit.html Follow TBPN: https://TBPN.com https://x.com/tbpn https://open.spotify.com/show/2L6WMqY3GUPCGBD0dX6p00?si=674252d53acf4231 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/technology-brothers/id1772360235 https://www.youtube.com/@TBPNLive
Segments Timeline
From Burnout to AI Enthusiasm
Peter Steinberger shares his journey from running a software company for 13 years to experiencing burnout and taking a break. He discusses how he rediscovered his passion for technology and AI, emphasizing the importance of recovery and the excitement of returning to the tech scene with fresh ideas.
"from >> man of the hour. >> How are you doing? Thank you so much for staying up late. What time is it for you? >> Uh it's 11. >> Thank y..."
The Spark of AI Innovation
Steinberger reflects on his return to coding and how he became intrigued by AI technologies. He describes his initial experiences with AI, the release of cloud code, and how he felt a renewed sense of purpose and creativity, leading to the development of Clawdbot.
">> wild. Well, we're glad we're glad you're back in the game. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. You know you know what they say like for every four ye..."
Building Community Around AI
Peter discusses the formation of a community around AI development, initially called 'cloud code anonymous' and later renamed 'agents anonymous.' He highlights the collaborative spirit among friends and the shared excitement for exploring AI technologies.
">> And and then I I couldn't sleep anymore. Like I literally had trouble I had trouble going to bed, you know, like we had like addiction before and then like we had addiction ag..."
The Unexpected Success of Clawdbot
Steinberger talks about the rapid growth and popularity of Clawdbot, noting how it gained traction beyond the tech community. He shares insights on the unexpected visibility of the project and the impressive metrics it achieved on GitHub.
">> And I'm having loads of fun. >> That's great. >> I love it. Maybe maybe walk us through some of the other stuff that you shipped and and wo..."
Fun and Learning in AI Development
Peter emphasizes the importance of having fun while learning new technologies. He shares his approach to building projects, experimenting with different programming languages, and the joy of creating useful tools in the AI space.
"last you know every everybody loves to show their charts but the chart is actually unbelievable. It's just a line going straight up. >> I I I need to talk to someone at GitHub be..."
The Journey of Building Personal Agents
Steinberger recounts his early ideas about personal agents and the challenges he faced in developing them. He reflects on the evolution of his projects and the motivation behind creating tools that enhance productivity and user experience.
"I tried a lot of stuff and then in November I looked and still there was nothing. Like where is where is my agent? >> Yeah. >> Um >> I I I had a little proje..."
Innovative WhatsApp Integration
Peter shares a breakthrough moment when he integrated WhatsApp with his AI projects. He describes how this integration allowed for seamless communication with his agents and the surprising capabilities that emerged from this innovation.
"locked in they just have to send one more and that's like the clearest sign that like you need a bridge and a phone involved. >> Yeah. No, but also like you know like this this f..."
The Smartness of AI Agents
Steinberger reflects on the intelligence and resourcefulness of AI agents, sharing a specific instance where his agent handled a complex task autonomously. He expresses his fascination with the potential of AI when given the right tools and capabilities.
"And it replied, "Yeah, you sent me you sent me a message, but there was only a link to a file. There's no file ending. So I looked at the file header. I found out that it's op..."
Art and Exploration in Technology
Peter discusses the dual nature of his project as both technology and art. He explains how the integration of various tools creates a seamless interaction experience, allowing users to communicate with their agents without worrying about the underlying complexities of technology.
">> Um and then I was I was kind of hooked. Like I I did all kinds of of of weird stuff like I used as alarm clock. I I let it migrate to my computer in London, but then it use SSH to log..."
Building for Models, Not Humans
In this insightful segment, Peter emphasizes the importance of designing software that caters to AI models rather than human users. He shares his approach to creating command-line interfaces (CLIs) that allow agents to interact efficiently with various applications, enhancing their capabilities.
"just you just talk to a friend or a ghost or >> whatever. It made me it made me last [clears throat] year everyone was wanting these agentic experiences. You were having this experience ..."
The Journey of Clawdbot
Peter reflects on the development journey of Clawdbot, sharing how he built it for personal use and the excitement it generated among friends. He notes the muted response from the tech community and his motivation to continue improving the project for himself and others.
"it for models. So if they call minus minus log, you build minus minus log. as it's like agentic driven for like yeah built built how they think and everything works better it's a new k..."
Navigating Opportunities Post-Launch
Peter discusses the whirlwind of attention and opportunities following the launch of Clawdbot. He shares his thoughts on the excitement and challenges of managing interest from potential investors and collaborators while remaining focused on his original vision.
">> how are you how are you how have you been navigating the last uh 72 hours? I mean the last the last week really because because we were joking earlier on the show like the amount of t..."
The Playground of AI Models
In this segment, Peter elaborates on his vision for Clawdbot as a playground for AI models, encouraging exploration and creativity. He highlights the importance of making the platform accessible for users to experiment with different models and plugins.
"interesting. Yeah. But there was a lot of stuff um between Twitter literally exploding our Discord server multiplying in in ways I haven't seen before and in ways I I couldn't handle l..."
Choosing the Right AI Model
Peter compares different AI models, sharing his preference for OPUS and Codex based on their reliability and performance. He discusses the unique characteristics of each model and how they contribute to the user experience in Clawdbot.
"alone little thing without having to like mess with the whole core. >> So it's it it's like the AI hackers paradise a little bit >> and it it's also..."
Renaming Challenges
Peter shares the challenges he faced when he received a request to rename Clawdbot due to trademark issues. He reflects on the difficulties of rebranding a project that has gained significant traction and the impact it has on his journey.
"email um from Entropic that I had to rename the project. >> And I I mean, kudos, they were really nice. They they they didn't send their lawyers. They sent someone internally. Um..."
The Future of Local AI Models
This segment explores the potential of local AI models and the shift towards self-hosting hardware. Steinberger discusses the limitations of current tech ecosystems and the liberation that comes from running models locally, allowing for greater flexibility and innovation.
"it'll it'll solve itself very quickly. >> It'll be fine. But I tell you like I I got some additional pressures. I was like screw it, we do it now. >&gt..."
The Rise of Personalized Software
Steinberger predicts a future where traditional apps may become obsolete as users shift towards hyper-personalized software solutions. He shares insights from a design agency that has embraced this change, highlighting how non-technical users can leverage AI to create tailored tools without needing coding skills.
">> uh I would say is is the best the best uh open source model right now. Although Ki just came out and I haven't had a chance to try it yet. So, so we'll see how that go..."
Empowering Non-Technical Users
In this concluding segment, Steinberger emphasizes the democratization of technology through AI, enabling non-technical individuals to build their own solutions. He illustrates this shift with examples of users who interact with AI agents to create internal tools, showcasing a transformative approach to software development.
"fact that for the first time I think people are seeing different big tech platforms kind of play with each other somewhat against their will. They don't they build walled gardens for a reason ..."
The Evolution of AI Interaction
Peter discusses the current state of AI models and their potential for improvement. He reflects on the challenges of user interaction with AI, emphasizing that as technology evolves, it will become easier and more intuitive for users, regardless of their technical background.
"the models ever are. Like there's this is only going to go up. This is only going to become easier and faster. >> Mhm. >> Have you met Jensen yet? >> ..."
Navigating Security Challenges
In this segment, Steinberger addresses the security concerns surrounding his AI project. He explains the unexpected challenges he faces as users adopt his tool in untrusted environments and his commitment to building a secure product while managing the influx of feedback and security reports.
">> The whole thing with Discord was like Edit but >> the model was that you trust the people that are in there. Now, people use it for >> untrusted experience..."
Building a Community Around AI
Steinberger expresses his desire to create a community-driven project rather than a traditional company. He discusses the importance of collaboration and support from experienced individuals in the open-source space to ensure the longevity and security of his AI tool.
">> pulling it apart and if you're honest this is this is all by coded you know >> uh like there's there's there's quite some aentic engineer..."
Open Source and Its Challenges
Peter Steinberger reflects on the implications of open-source licensing for his project. He acknowledges the potential for others to commercialize his work but emphasizes the importance of creating a robust open-source community that minimizes the space for exploitation.
"like something that is nonprofit. Um, I haven't made up my mind yet. There was >> 10,000 10,000 VCs just punched a hole in the wall. [laughter] >> Actually, I don&a..."
The Value of Ideas Over Code
In this closing segment, Steinberger discusses the shifting value in the tech industry, where ideas and brand recognition often outweigh the code itself. He highlights the importance of community and innovation in driving the future of technology.
"it doesn't even matter that much. You know, code is code is not worth that much anymore. >> It's you could you could you could just delete that and then and then build it..."
Reflections on Success
The hosts reflect on Peter Steinberger's journey and the unique insights he shared during the interview. They discuss the significance of his approach to building products and the potential impact of his work on the tech landscape, emphasizing the importance of passion and dedication.
"love shifting to security reports, uh, or or if you love taking software apart, but then also help and not just like throw work at me because I'm like at my limit, um, email me. Um, I want thi..."