Key facts
- Abdulrahman Alfozan pleaded not guilty in San Francisco's federal courthouse to one count of intercepting oral communications.
- Federal agents arrested Alfozan on October 9; a judge later deemed him a flight risk and declined bond.
- Prosecutors say Alfozan hid a recording device wrapped in toilet paper behind a television in an OpenAI conference room.
- Prosecutors alleged his wife's chatbot history showed prompts about building, testing and hiding an audio recorder.
- Alfozan's lawyer David Rizk waived the reading of the indictment and entered the not-guilty plea before Judge Peter Kang.
- Alfozan's next hearing is scheduled for November 17.
Abdulrahman Alfozan, an engineer OpenAI fired and who was arrested in October on accusations that he bugged the company's office, pleaded not guilty on Friday in San Francisco's federal courthouse, Business Insider reported on November 6.
Federal agents arrested Alfozan on October 9 and charged him with one count of intercepting oral communications. Prosecutors say the 35-year-old engineer hid a recording device wrapped in toilet paper behind a television in an OpenAI conference room. They also alleged that his wife's chatbot history showed multiple prompts about building, testing and hiding an audio recorder.
A judge at a prior hearing deemed the Saudi a flight risk and declined his request for bond, and he entered the plea a few weeks into his detention. On Friday, Judge Peter Kang reminded Alfozan of his rights to remain silent and to an attorney. Alfozan's lawyer, David Rizk, waived the reading of the indictment and entered the not-guilty plea.
Alfozan and his wife lived in Millbrae, California. Before OpenAI, Alfozan worked at Facebook, at a Y Combinator-backed startup called Nash, and as a venture capital investor for a Saudi firm. His previous lawyer said he had a green card, making him a permanent legal resident, and had been weeks away from a naturalization interview before his arrest.
Alfozan's next hearing is scheduled for November 17.