FBI Arrests OpenAI Employee Accused of Hiding Recording Device

The FBI arrested an OpenAI employee accused of planting a hidden recording device in an executive conference room at the company’s San Francisco office. Federal prosecutors identified the employee as Abdulrahman Alfozan, a Saudi national who worked on OpenAI’s product team.

OpenAI said it discovered the device about a week before Alfozan’s arrest on October 9 and alerted the FBI. Prosecutors said the device was inserted into a USB port on the back of a television. They also said a camera OpenAI had placed behind the television allegedly captured Alfozan looking there.

OpenAI said its internal AI models helped it understand the device. The company told TechCrunch the device had advanced encryption, audio monitoring capabilities and a data-transfer mechanism designed to evade monitoring. It remains unclear how technically distinct it was from other recording devices.

OpenAI said it had no indication that Alfozan improperly accessed or removed model weights, source code or customer data. Prosecutors charged him with using an electronic device to intercept oral communications. The purpose of the recording is unclear. FBI Director Kash Patel said the scheme aimed to capture sensitive communications about OpenAI’s superintelligence technology.

Alfozan was fired and arrested on October 9. He faces five years in prison if convicted. Neither he nor his attorney could be immediately reached for comment. OpenAI spokesperson Nate Evans said Alfozan joined the company in July 2025.