FBI Arrests Former OpenAI Employee Over Hidden Office Listening Device

What happened

OpenAI announced Tuesday on X that it found a hidden “sophisticated recording device” in one of its offices, analyzed the device with its own models, and identified the specific employee who had planted it. The company referred the case to the FBI, which made the arrest.

Federal prosecutors named the man as Saudi national Abdulrahman Alfozan, according to TechCrunch. He was fired and arrested on October 9, about a week after the device was discovered. The device was plugged into a USB port on the back of a television in an executive conference room in the San Francisco office; OpenAI told TechCrunch the device had advanced encryption, audio-monitoring capabilities, and a data-transfer mechanism designed to evade monitoring.

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

— OpenAI (statement on X, via Reuters)

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California charged Alfozan with using an electronic device to intercept oral communications. Prosecutors said a camera OpenAI had placed captured him looking behind the television where the recording device was. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison, prosecutors said. FBI Director Kash Patel said the scheme aimed to “capture sensitive communications about the company's super intelligence technology.”

Key facts

1. Timeline: the employee was fired and arrested on October 9, about a week after the device was discovered; OpenAI disclosed the incident publicly on Tuesday, October 13.
2. Person involved: prosecutors named Saudi national Abdulrahman Alfozan; an OpenAI spokesperson confirmed he joined in July 2025 and worked on the product team.
3. Charges: Northern California federal prosecutors charged him with intercepting oral communications with an electronic device; a conviction carries up to five years in prison. The FBI investigation is ongoing.
4. Company statement: OpenAI says it currently has no indications that model weights, source code, or customer data were accessed or exfiltrated.