Ex-OpenAI Engineer Pleads Not Guilty Over Alleged Bugging of Executive Meeting Room

What happened

According to Bloomberg and CNBC, Alfozan, a 35-year-old Saudi national, appeared in court on Friday, Nov 6, and pleaded not guilty to a single count of interception of oral communications returned by a grand jury on Oct 27; if convicted, he faces up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

Prosecutors allege Alfozan hid a recording device behind a TV in an executive conference room at OpenAI's San Francisco headquarters on or about Sept 28, plugged into the TV's USB port and covered with toilet paper; OpenAI staff found it on Sept 30, and its contents were encrypted. Prosecutors also allege he used a productivity tool to look up meeting-room locations and schedules, that chat records show he looked up how to build a continuous audio recorder, and that a second recorder was found in his bag.

Alfozan joined OpenAI in July 2025 and was arrested by the FBI on Oct 9 and dismissed by the company; he has been held without bail since. Prosecutors call him a flight risk and say he had planned to leave for Riyadh on Oct 12. Court filings also say he was in frequent WhatsApp contact with a member of the Saudi royal family; the allegations have not been proven in court.

Key facts

1. Defendant: Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, a Saudi national; joined OpenAI in July 2025 and was dismissed after his Oct 9 arrest
2. Charge: A grand jury indicted him on Oct 27 on one count of interception of oral communications; he pleaded not guilty on Nov 6; next hearing Nov 17
3. Device: A recorder hidden behind a TV in an executive conference room, plugged into the TV's USB port and covered with toilet paper; installed on or about Sept 28, found Sept 30; contents encrypted
4. Prosecutors' account: They allege he used a productivity tool to look up meeting rooms and schedules and to research building a continuous recorder, and that a second device was in his bag; they call him a flight risk
5. Custody: Held without bail since his Oct 9 arrest; if convicted, up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release
6. Unproven: OpenAI has not confirmed any disclosure of confidential information; contact with a Saudi royal family member does not establish direction by a government, and the allegations have not been proven in court