FBI arrests OpenAI employee accused of installing hidden recording device in conference room

OpenAI said it alerted the FBI after discovering that an employee allegedly installed a hidden recording device in one of the AI ​​maker’s office executive conference rooms.

The employee, named by federal prosecutors as Saudi national Abdulrahman Alfozan, was fired and arrested on October 9, about a week after OpenAI discovered the surveillance device.

The company said in an article on X that it was using its internal AI models to understand the “sophisticated” device. OpenAI told TechCrunch that the device contained “advanced encryption, audio surveillance capabilities, and a data transfer mechanism designed to evade surveillance,” although it is unclear how technically distinct this device is from other recording devices.

“At this time, we have no indication that this individual inappropriately accessed or exfiltrated model weights, source code, or customer data,” OpenAI said in its X post.

OpenAI spokesperson Nate Evans confirmed that the employee started at the AI ​​modeler in July 2025 and worked on the product team.

Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California said Alfozan was accused of using an electronic device to intercept oral communications – effectively accusing him of secretly recording people’s voices without their permission. Prosecutors said OpenAI detected the device after inserting it into a USB port on the back of a television in OpenAI’s San Francisco office.

According to prosecutors, Alfozan was caught looking behind the television where the recording device was placed and where OpenAI had placed a camera that allegedly captured the employee.

It’s unclear exactly what purpose the recording device was used for, but FBI Director Kash Patel said the project was intended to “capture sensitive communications regarding the company’s super intelligence technology.”

Neither Alfozan nor his lawyer could immediately be reached for comment. He faces five years in prison if convicted.

When contacted, an FBI spokesperson reiterated a statement made by Patel.

“Protecting American IS innovation is essential to safeguarding our nation’s economic strength and national security, and the FBI views this mission as one of our highest counterintelligence priorities,” Patel said.