Key facts
- OpenAI engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan charged with planting a secret audio recorder.
- Device found in an executive conference room at OpenAI's San Francisco office.
- Prosecutors allege Alfozan used AI tools to research device installation and access.
- OpenAI's AI models helped identify Alfozan as the individual who planted the device.
- OpenAI stated no source code, model weights, or customer data were compromised.
- Alfozan has been terminated from his position at OpenAI.
A Saudi national working as an engineer at OpenAI has been charged with secretly planting a recording device in one of the company's San Francisco offices, federal prosecutors announced. Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, was arrested on Oct. 9 and charged with using or attempting to use a device to intercept oral communications.
Prosecutors allege that Alfozan, who has been employed at OpenAI since July 2025, used an internal productivity tool to inquire about OpenAI's building addresses, meeting rooms, calendars, and leadership meeting locations. They also point to a chatbot account tied to Alfozan's spouse, which allegedly asked how to build a continuous audio recorder, add Wi-Fi connectivity, and encrypt the device's SD card between Sept. 24 and Sept. 30.
OpenAI staff discovered the device on or around Sept. 30, plugged into a USB port behind a TV in an executive conference room and wrapped in toilet paper. The company stated that it used its AI models to identify that a specific employee had planted it a few days earlier and confirmed that there is no indication that source code, model weights, or customer data were inappropriately accessed or taken. The employee has since been terminated.
Security cameras allegedly caught Alfozan near the room on several dates before the discovery, despite having no authorization to enter it. FBI Director Kash Patel stated Alfozan allegedly tried to capture sensitive conversations about the company's "super intelligence technology," and U.S. Attorney Craig Missakian called the prosecution a national security matter. If convicted, Alfozan faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.