one-way flight to
On October 9, a Saudi national and former OpenAI employee named Abdulrahman Alfozan was arrested at the company's San Francisco offices. The Justice Department alleges that Alfozan concealed a recording device, a Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32-S3, within a television in a conference room. The device, described as "cheap and easy to hide," contained a thumb-sized development board with a detachable camera sensor, digital microphone, and micro-SD storage.
Alfozan, who joined OpenAI in July 2025, was fired on the day of his arrest. According to prosecutors, Alfozan had arranged for himself, his wife, and a third family member to take one-way flights from San Francisco to Saudi Arabia via Istanbul, indicating a potential plan to flee the U.S. after being arrested. OpenAI maintains that no sensitive data was compromised.
Alfozan's defense attorney, William Pernik, emphasized that his client faces charges under a federal recording statute and not for stealing trade secrets or acting as a foreign agent. The attorney also noted that the allegations appear to be based on Alfozan's national origin.
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