OpenAI says employee caught planting listening device

OpenAI announced on Tuesday that one of its employees was arrested following the discovery of a sophisticated recording device in one of its San Francisco offices. The suspect, a 35-year-old Saudi national who worked as an engineer, was apprehended a week after the device was found in a conference room, according to a federal court complaint in San Francisco. The company promptly reported the incident to the FBI and terminated the employee's employment. An ongoing federal investigation is currently underway.

The suspect, who made an appearance in court on Tuesday, has been charged with using an electronic, mechanical, or other device to intercept oral communications. The criminal complaint does not specify the suspect's intentions for the recordings, but it does mention that the individual used a tool to gather information about the company's building addresses, meeting rooms, room capacities, and calendars.

OpenAI stated that the device was discovered a few days after it was allegedly placed by the suspect. A spokesperson for the AI company told the Associated Press that the team analyzed the device and traced its origin to a specific employee who planted it a few days prior. The spokesperson assured that there were no indications of the individual improperly accessing or exfiltrating model weights, source code, or customer data at this time.

The suspect was discovered wrapping a USB device in toilet paper and hiding it inside a television in an executive conference room. He was seen on camera near the room multiple times, even though he did not have authorization to attend meetings there. Following this observation, another camera was installed in the room, capturing the suspect checking on the hidden device.