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

OpenAI said it has alerted the FBI aft discovering that an worker allegedly planted a hidden signaling instrumentality successful 1 of the AI maker’s bureau enforcement league rooms.

The employee, named by national prosecutors arsenic Saudi nationalist Abdulrahman Alfozan, was fired and arrested connected October 9, astir a week aft OpenAI discovered the surveillance device.

The institution said successful a station connected X that it utilized its interior AI models to recognize the “sophisticated” device. OpenAI told TechCrunch that the instrumentality contained “advanced encryption, audio monitoring capabilities, and a mechanics for transferring information designed to evade monitoring,” though it is unclear to what grade this instrumentality is technically chiseled from different signaling devices.

“At this time, we person nary indications of this idiosyncratic inappropriately accessing oregon exfiltrating exemplary weights, root code, oregon lawsuit data,” said OpenAI successful its station connected X.

OpenAI’s spokesperson Nate Evans confirmed that the worker started with the AI exemplary shaper successful July 2025 and worked connected the merchandise team.

Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California said Alfozan was charged with utilizing an physics instrumentality to intercept oral communications — efficaciously accusing him of covertly signaling people’s dependable audio without their permission. Alfozan said OpenAI caught the instrumentality aft it was inserted into a USB larboard connected the backmost of a tv successful OpenAI’s San Francisco office.

Per the prosecutors, Alfozan was caught looking down the tv wherever the signaling instrumentality was placed, and wherever OpenAI had placed a camera that allegedly caught the employee.

It’s not wide precisely for what intent the signaling instrumentality was used, but FBI Director Kash Patel said the strategy was to “capture delicate communications astir the company’s ace quality technology.” 

Neither Alfozan nor his lawyer could beryllium instantly reached for comment. He faces 5 years successful situation if convicted.

When reached, a spokesperson for the FBI reiterated a statement made by bureau manager Kash Patel.

“Protecting American SI innovation is indispensable to safeguarding our nation’s economical spot and nationalist security, and the FBI views that ngo arsenic 1 of our highest counterintelligence priorities,” Patel said.

A photograph showing the hidden signaling device.Image Credits:OpenAI