Why did Anthropic suspend Peter Steinberger's Claude account?

Anthropic cited 'suspicious activity' on April 10, 2026. Steinberger said he was following Anthropic's new rule and paying API rates when the suspension hit.

Was the suspension permanent?

No. After Steinberger's post went viral, Anthropic reinstated the account within hours.

How is this connected to the Claude Code subscription ban?

Anthropic had banned Claude Code subscriptions from being used with OpenClaw six days earlier on April 4. Steinberger's suspension on April 10 reinforced the perception that Anthropic is targeting the OpenClaw ecosystem.

Where was the story covered?

TechCrunch, Yahoo, and Hacker News carried the story on April 10, 2026. Steinberger himself posted the suspension screenshot on X.

Is Peter Steinberger still at OpenAI?

Yes. Steinberger joined OpenAI on February 15, 2026, after leaving OpenClaw following a cease-and-desist from Anthropic.

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clawsmith.com/signal/anthropic-suspends-steinberger-claude-account

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Anthropic temporarily suspends OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger's own Claude account

Q: Did Anthropic respond to the suspension?

An Anthropic engineer replied publicly that Anthropic has never banned anyone for using OpenClaw and offered to help.

April 10: Peter Steinberger posts screenshot of Anthropic suspending his personal Claude account for 'suspicious activity' — 6 days after Anthropic banned Claude Code subscriptions from being used with OpenClaw. Steinberger said he was complying with the new rule by paying API rates when the suspension hit. After the post went viral, Anthropic reinstated the account within hours. Anthropic engineer replied publicly that Anthropic 'has never banned anyone for using OpenClaw.' Coverage in TechCrunch. Reinforces perception that Anthropic is retaliating against the OpenClaw ecosystem after Steinberger joined OpenAI.

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