Peter Steinberger, the creator of the agentic AI breakthrough OpenClaw, has criticized Europe’s regulatory environment after announcing his move from Europe to the United States, where he has joined OpenAI. A native of Austria, Steinberger had previously divided his time between London and Vienna, but now plans to relocate to the U.S. to take on a new role at the AI powerhouse. In a series of posts on X, Steinberger responded to a question from a European academic wondering why the continent struggles to retain top tech talent. His answer was blunt: while the U.S. embraces innovation with enthusiasm, Europe often reacts with caution, focusing on compliance and risk aversion. “Most people in the U.S. are excited. In Europe, I get scolded for responsibility and regulations,” he wrote. He pointed to labor laws in Europe as a major barrier. In the U.S., he noted, employees at companies like OpenAI commonly work six to seven days a week and are compensated accordingly. Such practices would be illegal under many European labor regulations, he said, making it difficult to build fast-moving, high-intensity tech ventures on the continent. Steinberger also highlighted the stark contrast in economic scale. While the most valuable company in Europe is ASML, the Dutch semiconductor equipment maker valued at around $550 billion, the U.S. is home to ten companies worth over $1 trillion—most of them tech giants. This imbalance, he argued, reflects deeper systemic challenges in Europe’s innovation ecosystem. A 2024 EU report acknowledged the region’s lag in technological advancement and proposed sweeping reforms to boost innovation. However, by the end of 2025, few of those recommendations had been implemented, fueling frustration among entrepreneurs. Steinberger expressed cautious hope for EU INC, a proposed initiative to create a unified corporate legal framework across the EU to simplify cross-border business operations. But he dismissed it as ineffective, writing that it had “fizzled out” due to national interests and political compromises that diluted its impact. His departure underscores a growing concern: despite Europe’s strong research base and skilled workforce, regulatory hurdles and a risk-averse culture may be pushing top innovators toward more agile and supportive environments like the U.S.