As of May 1, Microsoft’s “Project Lobster,” built on the OpenClaw framework, has reached over 3,000 daily users testing its features, a significant increase from just 100 the previous week. This initiative is spearheaded by Omar Shahine, a Corporate Vice President at Microsoft, who aims to develop a suite of proactive agents that assist users within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.
The OpenClaw technology, which was initially criticized by CEO Satya Nadella as a potential security threat, is now being rapidly adopted, with other companies like OpenAI and NVIDIA also exploring its capabilities. The framework, created by Peter Steinberger, became publicly available in November 2025 and offers a virtual assistant that continuously monitors user activities to manage tasks effectively.
Shahine envisions a team of specialized agents that can handle various responsibilities, such as managing schedules and processing emails, thereby enhancing productivity. He began working with OpenClaw earlier this year, demonstrating its potential during a presentation to Microsoft's AI Accelerator group in February.