# Name-change drama behind Clawdbot, Moltbot, OpenClaw | Peter Steinberger and Lex Fridman Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSZrIPMTDLg Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/jSZrIPMTDLg Generated: 2026-02-17T08:03:11.927+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview The name change drama surrounding the project initially called Clawdbot, which evolved through Clawdis and Clawd, eventually settling on Moltbot and OpenClaw, was driven by the creator's desire to avoid domain squatting and potential future conflicts, especially after realizing the original name felt too much like a reference to the sci-fi project 'The Manhattan Project' or 'Game of Thrones' type struggles, leading to the final choice of OpenClaw. **Key Points:** - The initial project name was Clawdbot, which then changed to Clawdis and then Clawd. - The creator later renamed it Moltbot and OpenClaw to avoid potential trademark issues and domain squatting. - The creator felt the initial names were too similar to existing concepts, specifically mentioning 'The Manhattan Project' and 'Game of Thrones' type conflicts (03:43, 04:00, 04:33, 06:45). - The creator noted that when interacting with Anthropic's Claude AI, the AI would occasionally try to 'snap' the account names or suggest names like 'Clawd' or 'OpenClaw' (07:07, 08:18). - The creator admitted to spending significant time (10 hours) trying to find a suitable, non-conflicting name, ultimately settling on OpenClaw (14:14). - The project ultimately aimed to be a 'war room' for crypto/web3 security, where they would proactively secure domains and prevent malicious actors from claiming them (05:04, 06:11). ![Screenshot at 00:07: The meme graphic appears, illustrating the central conflict of the name change drama by showing three red figures pointing at each other, labeled 'Clawdbot/Clawdis/Clawd', 'Moltbot', and 'OpenClaw', representing the various naming options being considered or rejected.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/jSZrIPMTDLg/00-00-07.jpg) **Context:** This segment of the Lex Fridman Podcast features an interview with Peter Steinberger, who recounts the challenging process of renaming his software project, which started as Clawdbot and went through several iterations (Clawdis, Clawd) before settling on Moltbot and OpenClaw. The discussion centers on the drama and difficulty associated with selecting a unique, non-trademark-infringing name for a project in the volatile cryptocurrency and security space, highlighting the creator's desire to avoid future legal or community-based conflicts. ## Detailed Analysis The creator details the extensive name change saga for his project, which began as Clawdbot, morphed into Clawdis, and then Clawd. The primary driver for these changes was avoiding domain squatting and trademark conflicts, as the initial names felt too close to existing concepts like 'The Manhattan Project' or themes from 'Game of Thrones' (04:00, 06:45). The naming process was complicated by the fact that the creator was already receiving adversarial attention on Twitter and dealing with crypto toxicity, leading him to feel constantly 'attacked' (05:55, 06:11). He even noted that the AI he was working with, Claude, seemed to subtly influence the naming process by suggesting fragments of the names or trying to 'snap' the account names (07:07). Ultimately, the creator spent significant time, including about 10 hours, manually trying to rename everything across platforms like GitHub and Twitter, which was difficult because he wanted to avoid any redirection issues. The final choice, OpenClaw, emerged after realizing that simply renaming the core project was less problematic than dealing with conflicts that might arise if they stuck to the original theme (14:14). The speaker implies that while the initial names were catchy, the administrative headache and risk associated with potential legal issues made the effort to rename worthwhile, especially since the project aimed to provide security services where trust and clear branding were essential. ### Project Naming History - Clawdbot started the project - Evolved through Clawdis and Clawd - Renamed to Moltbot and OpenClaw due to conflict avoidance ### Naming Challenges - Creator spent 10 hours renaming everything across platforms - Initial names felt too similar to 'Manhattan Project' or 'Game of Thrones' narratives - Avoided naming that would lead to immediate legal issues or domain squatting ### AI Influence - Claude AI occasionally suggested name fragments or tried to 'snap' account names (07:07) - The creator felt the existing crypto environment was highly toxic and adversarial (05:55) ### Resolution and Rationale - The creator finally settled on OpenClaw, believing it was safer - He realized the complexity of renaming everything was easier than fighting trademark battles later - The new names were chosen to be less likely to be immediately claimed by malicious actors. ![Screenshot at 00:07: The meme graphic appears, illustrating the central conflict of the name change drama by showing three red figures pointing at each other, labeled 'Clawdbot/Clawdis/Clawd', 'Moltbot', and 'OpenClaw', representing the various naming options being considered or rejected.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/jSZrIPMTDLg/00-00-07.jpg) ![Screenshot at 00:47: A screenshot of the 'SOUL.md' document is displayed while the speaker discusses how Anthropic's AI assistant, Claude, was shaped by an internal document used during training, highlighting the concept of an AI's 'soul'.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/jSZrIPMTDLg/00-00-47.jpg) ![Screenshot at 03:00: The speaker smiles and gestures broadly while discussing the difficulty of finding a good name, contrasting the initial, fun names with the administrative reality.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/jSZrIPMTDLg/00-03-00.jpg) ![Screenshot at 06:09: The speaker in the suit explains the complexity of the name change process, noting that the name change had to be atomic across all systems to prevent exploitation.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/jSZrIPMTDLg/00-06-09.jpg) ![Screenshot at 13:56: The guest in the suit laughs heartily after the speaker describes the chaos of the name change process, showing the lighthearted relief after the difficulty.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/jSZrIPMTDLg/00-13-56.jpg)