TL;DROpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger spent $1.3 million in OpenAI API tokens in 30 days running 100 Codex instances on his open-source project. The bill, covered by OpenAI where Steinberger now works, represents 603 billion tokens across 7.6 million requests and provides the most concrete public data point on the cost of autonomous AI coding at scale.
Peter Steinberger, the creator of OpenClaw and an engineer at OpenAI, racked up $1.3 million in API costs in a single month by running approximately 100 Codex instances simultaneously on his open-source project. The bill, which covered 603 billion tokens across 7.6 million requests over 30 days, is the most visible demonstration yet of what happens when AI-powered software development is run without budget constraints, and of how quickly costs escalate when autonomous agents operate continuously at scale.
Steinberger posted a screenshot of the bill on X, showing $1,305,088.81 charged to the OpenAI API, with GPT-5.5 as the primary model. OpenAI is covering the cost: Steinberger joined the company in February 2026, and the spending is treated as a research investment in understanding what software development looks like when token economics are not a limiting factor.
