Saudi National Employee of OpenAI Caught Audio Recording of Top Executives

Federal agents in the United States have apprehended a 35-year-old Saudi national, Abdulrahman Alfozan, who is alleged to have surreptitiously recorded audio in an executive conference room at OpenAI's San Francisco headquarters. Alfozan, an employee of the artificial intelligence company since July 2025, allegedly installed a thumb-sized device within a USB port behind a television on September 28, which was discovered by the company on September 30.

The device, encrypted and concealed in toilet paper, contained data that investigators were unable to access. Additional customized devices were reportedly found in Alfozan's personal belongings. OpenAI utilized its internal AI models to identify the individual responsible and trace the device's source. The company confirmed it had evidence suggesting further recording devices were intended to be placed in sensitive office areas, though no evidence of improper access to model weights, source code, or customer data was found.

Alfozan was promptly terminated by OpenAI and the matter was referred to the FBI. If convicted, he could face up to five years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, and three years of supervised release. The allegations remain unproven, and the FBI investigation is ongoing.