OpenAI discovered a USB recording device wrapped in toilet paper and plugged into a TV in a restricted executive conference room where leadership discussed confidential matters. The FBI alleges the device was planted by Abdulrahman Alfozan, a 35-year-old OpenAI engineer, and CCTV footage shows him later trying to retrieve it. He was arrested and fired on Friday, and faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted of unlawful recording charges.
According to a federal court complaint, Alfozan allegedly used an AI assistant to research meeting room schedules and queried a chatbot linked to his spouse about building and remotely accessing a recording device. CCTV reportedly placed him near a conference room used for confidential discussions on eight occasions in September, despite his having no authorization to be there. A hidden device was later found in that room.
The DOJ says Saudi national Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, an OpenAI employee, hid a $14 Seeed Xiao ESP32-S3 Sense device behind a TV in an executive conference room around Sept. 28, concealing it with toilet paper. The device, which includes a microphone, camera sensor and microSD storage, was discovered days later, and Alfozan was reportedly seen checking on it on Oct. 5 before OpenAI security searched his belongings.
Federal prosecutors have charged Abdulrahman Alfozan, a 35-year-old Saudi national who worked as an OpenAI engineer since July 2025, with planting a hidden recording device in an executive meeting room at the company's San Francisco office. OpenAI's security team discovered the encrypted device, built from a $13.99 Seeed XIAO ESP32-S3 board, around September 30, and later found a second similar device along with Alfozan's wallet in a bag he left behind. He was arrested on October 9 and appeared in federal court on October 13 facing charges of attempting to intercept oral communications.
A Saudi national employed by OpenAI was arrested by the FBI after allegedly planting a recording device in a company conference room, according to CNBC. OpenAI said in a statement that it has found no evidence the employee improperly accessed or removed model weights, source code, or customer data.
Federal prosecutors allege that Abdulrahman Alfozan, a 35-year-old OpenAI engineer, hid an audio recording device wrapped in toilet paper behind a monitor in an executive conference room at the company's San Francisco office. He allegedly used internal AI chatbot tools to research the room's meeting schedule and to get technical guidance on building the covert device, and a second recording device was reportedly found in his bag. OpenAI fired Alfozan last Friday, and he faces a federal charge of illegally intercepting oral communications, which carries up to five years in prison.
Federal prosecutors have charged a Saudi national, said to be an OpenAI engineer, with concealing an encrypted audio recording device in toilet paper behind a television in a company conference room. The device was reportedly intended to covertly capture internal meetings.
Federal prosecutors have charged Abdulrahman Alfozan, a 35-year-old OpenAI engineer hired in July 2025, with planting a hidden recording device in an executive conference room at the company's San Francisco headquarters. OpenAI says it discovered the device on September 30 plugged into a TV's USB port and concealed with toilet paper, then used its own AI models to trace it to Alfozan before alerting the FBI and firing him. Prosecutors allege he researched OpenAI's facilities and may have used a chatbot to learn how to build, hide and encrypt data from a recording device.
OpenAI has disclosed that it identified a corporate spy within its organization by applying its own artificial intelligence systems to the investigation. The company frames the episode as evidence that its AI tools can be turned toward internal security problems, not just external products.
Federal prosecutors arrested OpenAI engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan, a 35-year-old Saudi national, after a hidden audio device was found plugged into a TV's USB port in an executive conference room at the company's San Francisco headquarters. Investigators say the device, concealed in toilet paper, was installed around September 28 and recorded encrypted data; a separate unattended bag containing Alfozan's wallet, ID and another recording device was also found. He faces charges of using or attempting to use a device to intercept oral communications and remains in custody.
The DOJ has charged Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, an OpenAI employee since July 2025, with illegally intercepting oral communications after a covert recording device was found plugged into a USB port behind a TV in an executive conference room on September 30. Prosecutors say the device, hidden in toilet paper and containing encrypted data, was installed around September 28, and that security footage placed Alfozan near the room despite his lacking authorization to attend meetings there.
OpenAI says it found a concealed recording device inside one of its offices and used its own AI models to trace it to a specific employee who had planted it days earlier. The company reported the matter to the FBI, which made an arrest, and OpenAI has terminated the employee.
GoKawiil