Saudi national charged with planting a listening device at OpenAI offices

Key points

• Saudi national Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, is charged with planting a listening device at OpenAI's California offices.
• OpenAI found the device on September 30 and later captured him checking the hiding spot.
• If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

US federal agents have arrested a Saudi national and charged him with planting a hidden audio recording device in a conference room at OpenAI's California offices, where he worked as an engineer. Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, had been employed at the AI company since July 2025, the US Department of Justice said on Tuesday.

OpenAI discovered the device plugged into a USB port behind a television in an executive conference room at one of its San Francisco buildings on September 30, according to an FBI criminal complaint. The company then placed a camera in the room, which captured Alfozan entering last week and checking behind the television where the device had been installed, the FBI alleges.

Device and investigation

The FBI says a thumb-sized device with a microphone, capable of connecting to a camera, was concealed in toilet paper and placed behind the television. It was installed around September 28, and its stored data was encrypted and inaccessible. Investigators later found a similar device in Alfozan's personal bag.

The complaint also alleges Alfozan used an AI productivity tool to make multiple inquiries about the company's building addresses, meeting rooms, capacities and calendars, despite lacking authority to access those spaces or meetings.

At this time, we have no indications of this individual inappropriately accessing or exfiltrating model weights, source code, or customer data. The employee was terminated.

— OpenAI

Charges and company response

Alfozan made his first court appearance on Tuesday on a charge of using or attempting to use an electronic device to intercept oral communications. It was not immediately clear if he has legal representation, and he is expected back in court on October 19. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

In a post on X, OpenAI said it had evidence the employee intended to place other listening devices in sensitive areas to secretly record meetings. The company said it found no indications he inappropriately accessed or exfiltrated model weights, source code or customer data, and that he was terminated. Attorney General Todd Blanche said on X that the alleged attempt to steal sensitive communications was taken extremely seriously and poses a serious threat to national security.