AI developer Peter Steinberger has made it clear: This has nothing to do with any cryptocurrency; please stop bothering me.
Peter Steinberger, the renowned developer of the viral AI lobster robot "@moltbot" (formerly known as "@clawdbot"), recently issued a strong statement on X, firmly denying any connection to any cryptocurrency project and condemning those who impersonate him to issue meme coins as "frauds".
The developer strongly declares: Stop bothering me, I will never issue a coin.
Steinberger wrote on X: "Please, everyone in the crypto, stop bothering me. I will never issue a token. Any project claiming I am a token owner is a scam. I will not accept any fees; you are just sabotaging this project."
This post reflects a series of pressures he has recently faced: an increasing number of crypto community users want him to "charge fees," acknowledge certain tokens issued in his name, and even continue to harass him. These actions have forced Steinberger to publicly distance himself from these entities.
The AI-generated lobster renaming controversy led to the hijacking of a GitHub account.
One of the triggers for the incident was his recent trademark dispute, which led him to rename the AI project, originally named @clawdbot, to @moltbot—a humorous AI agent project themed around "helping lobsters conquer the world."
Although the X account was successfully transferred, the account name change on GitHub went wrong, resulting in the original account being registered by malicious individuals and subsequently used to issue fake tokens unrelated to Steinberger.
He remarked with a sense of helplessness, "This operation was truly a 'perfect' success (with a strong sense of irony)."
The proliferation of meme coins has created a breeding ground for scams that exploit misleading users to earn "transaction fees."
Following the chaotic account renaming, a series of meme coins impersonating @moltbot and @clawdbot appeared on platforms such as pump.fun, attracting speculators with the promise that "everyone can get rich as long as the developers receive fees."
Even more extreme, some token contracts directly list Steinberger as the "owner" in an attempt to increase credibility.
In response to the community's reaction, some joked, while others expressed support for Steinberger, praising his firm stance. Some netizens also mentioned that he had previously created a parody coin called "vibecoin," but he had already clarified that it was just a "joke used to mock the crypto" and he never intended to take it seriously.
I reiterate: I do not touch cryptocurrencies, and I will not touch them.
Steinberger has stated explicitly in the past that he has absolutely no interest in cryptocurrencies. In response to inquiries about fake coins on X, he said, "How many times do I have to say it before you understand? I don't touch coins, I don't create coins, and any tokens issued by anyone are fake."
Following this incident, he publicly appealed: If anyone has access to internal communication channels on GitHub, please help him regain his account to prevent further scams.
The split between AI developers and the crypto: Is it a conflict of innovation or a clash of values?
This controversy also highlights the deep conflict between two rapidly evolving fields: open-source AI development and meme culture.
Once an AI project gains popularity, it is often used as fodder for speculation in the crypto, and may be packaged with tokens regardless of the developer's wishes. For many developers who value technology and the spirit of open community, this unauthorized issuance of tokens and opportunistic behavior not only goes against their original intentions but may also cause reputational damage and user confusion.
This article, "clawdbot (moltbot) developer angrily denounces scam: I will never issue a coin! Crypto, stop harassing me," first appeared on ABMedia .
