OpenAI employee arrested over alleged office bugging

A Saudi employee of OpenAI was arrested after allegedly planting a recording device in one of the company's San Francisco offices, OpenAI and US federal prosecutors said Tuesday.

The US Justice Department said Abdulrahman Alfozan, a 35-year-old engineer who had worked for OpenAI since July 2025, was arrested on October 9.

OpenAI said its security team discovered a sophisticated recording device hidden inside one of its offices late last month and referred the matter to the FBI.

Prosecutors said Alfozan allegedly wrapped a USB device in toilet paper and inserted it into a television in an executive conference room. They said he was seen on camera near the room multiple times but was not authorised to take part in meetings there.

The Justice Department said Alfozan used a productivity tool to search for information about OpenAI office buildings, meeting rooms, calendars, schedules and people's locations. It also said a chatbot account connected to his spouse allegedly contained queries related to remote audio recording and encrypting memory cards.

OpenAI said it had no indication that Alfozan improperly accessed or exfiltrated model weights, source code or customer data.

The Justice Department said OpenAI's security team found a second device when searching an unattended bag belonging to Alfozan.

Prosecutors said Alfozan was charged with using or trying to use an electronic, mechanical or other device to intercept oral communications. The charge carries a possible sentence of up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The Justice Department did not accuse Alfozan or Saudi Arabia of spying in its statement. Alfozan is expected to appear at a federal court hearing on October 19.