Key Takeaways
- United States federal agents arrested an OpenAI engineer for allegedly hiding an audio recording device.
- The engineer, Abdulrahman Alfozan, had worked at the company since July 2025.
- OpenAI discovered the device on September 30, which was plugged into a USB port behind a television.
United States federal agents have arrested an OpenAI engineer accused of hiding an audio recording device in an executive conference room at the company’s San Francisco offices, according to the Justice Department.
Abdulrahman Alfozan, a 35-year-old Saudi national, allegedly installed the device around September 28, which was discovered by OpenAI on September 30, plugged into a USB port behind a television.
The thumb-sized device was concealed in toilet paper and contained encrypted data that investigators could not access, according to an FBI complaint.
Authorities also allegedly found a similar customized device in Alfozan’s personal bag, raising concerns about potential additional recording devices in sensitive office areas.
OpenAI said it used its internal AI models to identify the person responsible and trace the device’s origins, stating that it had found no indication that he improperly accessed or extracted model weights, source code, or customer data.
The company fired Alfozan and referred the matter to the FBI, who are continuing their investigation.
Alfozan faces up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release if convicted.
The allegations remain unproven, and the FBI investigation is ongoing.
OpenAI also alleged that Alfozan used an AI productivity agent to seek information about meeting-room calendars and capabilities.
