OpenAI employee arrested for allegedly hiding recording device in executive meeting room

Saudi national Abdulrahman Alfozan, a 35-year-old former OpenAI engineer, was arrested on October 9 for allegedly placing a recording device in a San Francisco office meeting room. Prosecutors allege that Alfozan, who worked at the company since July 2025, hid the device in a USB port on a TV behind which sensitive discussions about proprietary research and government matters took place.

The device, a $13.99 Seeed XIAO ESP32-S3 Sense development board, was discovered by OpenAI's security team on September 30. Alfozan reportedly used a chatbot and productivity tool to identify executives and research meeting rooms. He was arrested on October 13 and charged with intercepting oral communications, potentially aided by a chatbot.

CCTV footage showed Alfozan near the room despite lacking authorization to enter, and security found another encrypted recorder and his wallet in a bag he had left in a printer room. OpenAI has not found any indication that model weights, source code, or customer data were improperly accessed or taken. The convicted could face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.