Saudi Engineer Arrested For Allegedly Planting Recording Device In OpenAI Executive Conference Room, Faces Up To Five Years In Prison

An OpenAI engineer, Abdulrahman Alfozan, has been arrested and charged with planting a hidden audio recorder in the company's executive conference room in San Francisco. The 35-year-old Saudi national, who joined OpenAI in July 2025, was arrested on October 9 and made his first appearance in federal court. According to the US Justice Department, Alfozan is accused of planting the recorder, which was discovered on September 30, in the room where OpenAI holds talks on proprietary research, product plans, government engagements, and commercial relationships.

The room had no authority for him to enter or participate in meetings. Alfozan is charged with using or attempting to use a device to intercept oral communications, and if convicted, faces up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. OpenAI stated that it used its own models to understand the device and identified Alfozan as the individual responsible for planting it. The company also mentioned that the employee was fired.

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