OpenAI Engineer Arrested for Allegedly Planting Listening Device in Meeting Room

An engineer at the artificial intelligence firm OpenAI has been arrested by United States authorities after a listening device was discovered in the company’s conference room. The employee, identified as 35-year-old Saudi engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan, had been employed by the San Francisco-based company, known for products like ChatGPT, since July 2025.

Prosecutors allege that Alfozan used the listening device to illegally obtain sensitive information. He made his initial court appearance on Tuesday and faces a potential maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Kash Patel, head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), stated, “Protecting American [super intelligence] innovation is essential to safeguarding our nation’s economic strength and national security, and the FBI views that mission as one of our highest counterintelligence priorities.”

This incident highlights concerns regarding surveillance and covert tactics employed to gain an advantage in the competitive AI sector. According to a Justice Department complaint, the device, concealed within toilet paper, was installed around September 28 and found on September 30. Video surveillance from OpenAI’s offices reportedly showed Alfozan near the executive conference room on multiple occasions prior to the device's discovery, despite lacking authorization to access the room or attend its meetings, which were described as highly confidential.

OpenAI security personnel also reportedly discovered a second listening device in Alfozan’s possession. In a social media statement, OpenAI clarified, “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.” The company further stated that it utilized its own AI models to identify the individual responsible for planting the device, noting, “We used our models to understand the device and where it had come from, identifying that a specific employee had planted it a few days earlier. We referred the matter to the FBI, and we’re grateful to the agents and prosecutors who moved quickly to make an arrest. The FBI’s investigation is ongoing and we will continue to support their work.” Alfozan has been charged with using or attempting to use an electronic, mechanical, or other device to intercept oral communications.