Hermes Agentic AI Overtakes OpenClaw, 10 Shifts Leaders Need To Know

InnovationAIHermes Agentic AI Overtakes OpenClaw, 10 Shifts Leaders Need To KnowBySandy Carter,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Sandy Carter, COO at Unstoppable, Top 10 Microsoft MSN AI EntrepreneurFollow AuthorMay 25, 2026, 07:45am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.There's a new agentic AI platform other than OpenClaw. It's called Hermes. (Photo by Qin Zihang/VCG via Getty Images)VCG via Getty ImagesAgentic systems have left the experimental phase, and the numbers say so before any narrative does. Hermes Agent crossed 140,000 GitHub stars in under ninety days, which puts it among the fastest-growing developer projects anyone has tracked in recent memory. OpenRouter usage data already ranks it as the most used framework in its category, and the demand side is moving in step; Salesforce alone reports tens of thousands of enterprise deals now tied to automated workflows running in production.Before unpacking what changed, the two Agentic AI players at the center of this moment deserve a clear definition.OpenClaw is an open framework that wires models into real work. It went passed both Linux and React to become the fastest-growing open-source project in GitHub history, rocketing to over 250,000 stars in its first 60 days. The platform records roughly 38 million monthly website visitors and 3.2 million active users worldwide.Think of it as an execution layer, the connective tissue between systems, tools, and the workflows that carry tasks from idea to completion. Over the past year, it quietly became the default starting point for teams exploring this space. It was purchased by OpenAI.MORE FOR YOUPeople use the AI agent OpenClaw partially because it is an open-source AI agent. The hype around OpenClaw, launched by its Austrian creator in November 2025, reflects the broader interest in artificial intelligence. (Photo by Kevin...