OpenAI was arrested
OpenAI employee Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, has been arrested and charged with attempting to use a device to intercept oral communications, according to FBI Director Kash Patel. Alfozan, an engineer at OpenAI since July 2025, was arrested on October 9 and made his initial appearance in federal court. The alleged incident occurred on or about September 30 when OpenAI personnel discovered a recording device hidden inside a USB port in an executive conference room in San Francisco.
The device, which had been concealed in toilet paper, was installed on or about September 28 and its contents were encrypted. CCTV footage showed Alfozan near the conference room on multiple dates prior to the device's discovery, despite having no authority to access or participate in meetings in the room. Meetings in the conference room often involved discussions of highly confidential information about OpenAI's super intelligence technology.
Prior to the device's discovery, Alfozan used OpenAI's productivity tool to inquire about the company's building addresses, meeting room capacities, and leadership locations. A chatbot account associated with Alfozan's spouse also submitted prompts related to building, customizing, installing, and remotely accessing a device between September 24 and September 30.
Alfozan is currently facing a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.
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