The Saudi national allegedly sought information about confidential meetings and used encrypted surveillance equipment
An OpenAI employee has been arrested for allegedly planting a recording device in a conference room at the company’s California office where executives discussed highly confidential information, the US Department of Justice said on Tuesday.
FBI Director Kash Patel identified the suspect as Abdulrahman Alfozan, a Saudi national who had worked as an engineer at OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, since July 2025.
If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
According to an unsealed criminal complaint, OpenAI staff discovered an audio recording device plugged into a USB port on the back of a television in an executive conference room at the company’s San Francisco office around September 30. The device “had been concealed in toilet paper,” and its contents were encrypted.
Security camera footage allegedly showed Alfozan entering the conference room and looking behind the television where the device had been planted. OpenAI security personnel later discovered that the suspect had left a bag in another room containing a second recording device.
According to the complaint, Alfozan used a productivity tool to make multiple inquiries about where executives held meetings, despite having no authorization to attend them. The document also alleges that a chatbot account associated with Alfozan’s spouse contained prompts about covert recording devices.
“This serious situation underscores why winning the global super intelligence race is a national security prerogative,” Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton said.
The incident comes amid intensifying technological competition between the US and China, as well as concerns raised by OpenAI and other technology companies that increasingly capable AI models could access external networks or act without authorization.
Former Anthropic and OpenAI researcher Jacob Coxon claimed earlier this month that China “already has spies” at both companies. Beijing has repeatedly denied allegations of stealing trade secrets.
Trump has backed calls for stronger safeguards at AI companies but rejected proposals to slow the development of AI models. Earlier this month, he appointed Clayton to lead a White House AI task force.
