OpenAI says it discovered a hidden surveillance device planted in an executive conference room by employee Abdulrahman Alfozan, who was fired and arrested by the FBI on October 9. Federal prosecutors charged him with illegally intercepting oral communications after the device, found hidden behind a TV's USB port, was linked to him via a camera OpenAI had installed. OpenAI says it has found no evidence the employee accessed or exfiltrated model weights, source code, or customer data.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-10-13
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.
sfstandard.com
· 2026-10-13
OpenAI says it discovered a sophisticated recording device concealed in one of its offices and used its own AI models to trace it to an employee who had planted it days earlier. The company referred the case to the FBI, which made an arrest; the employee was fired, and OpenAI says it has found no evidence the person accessed or exfiltrated model weights, source code, or customer data.
twitter.com
· 2026-10-13