AI developer Peter Steinberger, behind the viral Moltbot project, publicly disavows cryptocurrency tokens and cautions against scams claiming association with his work amid ongoing harassment.
Peter Steinberger firmly rejects memecoin involvement: The Moltbot creator states he will never launch a token and labels any claiming his ownership as scams.
Fake Solana tokens emerge: Impersonation memecoins like $CLAWD surged in value before crashing following his public denial.
Harassment damages project: Persistent crypto community outreach hinders development of the open-source AI assistant.
Broader industry concern: Case exemplifies reputational risks for non-crypto builders targeted by unsolicited token launches.
Peter Steinberger, the developer behind the rapidly popular open-source AI personal assistant Moltbot—formerly known as Clawdbot—issued a strong public statement on X denouncing harassment from the cryptocurrency community and warning against scam tokens impersonating his project.
In his January 27 post, Steinberger addressed “crypto folks” directly: “Please stop pinging me, stop harassing me. I will never do a coin. Any project that lists me as coin owner is a SCAM. No, I will not accept fees. You are actively damaging the project.”
The viral AI agent, which recently underwent a rename due to trademark conflicts, has attracted significant attention for its advanced autonomous capabilities. However, the transition provided an opening for opportunistic launches of unauthorized memecoins on Solana-based platforms such as pump.fun.
Several tokens falsely tied to Steinberger or his project appeared, with one reaching a multimillion-dollar market capitalization before plummeting after his explicit disavowal. These impersonations exemplify a recurring issue in the memecoin sector, where developers outside crypto are targeted without consent.
Steinberger’s frustration highlights a tension in the ecosystem: while memecoins can drive community engagement and liquidity on chains like Solana, aggressive solicitation and fraudulent associations risk alienating innovative builders focused on technology rather than speculation.
Reactions within the community varied, with many expressing support for Steinberger and criticizing the tactics that contribute to crypto’s negative perception among mainstream developers. As intersections between AI and blockchain grow, such incidents underscore the challenges of protecting project integrity in decentralized environments.
#clawdbotsaysnotoken
