OpenAI reported discovering a hidden recording device in one of its offices on September 30, traced to an employee. The FBI arrested the worker, identified as Abdulrahman Alfozan, a 35-year-old Saudi Arabian national who joined OpenAI’s product team in July 2025 as an engineer. The device was built to evade detection, used advanced encryption, could monitor audio, and transfer data covertly.
OpenAI stated the employee planned to place more recording devices in sensitive areas to secretly record meetings. The company used its most advanced AI models to help investigators analyze the device’s stored data. Alfozan was fired on Friday, the day of his arrest.
The device was inserted into a USB port on the back of a television in one of OpenAI’s San Francisco buildings. OpenAI said there were no indications the individual accessed model weights, source code, or customer data. The incident highlights ongoing security concerns at leading AI labs.
OpenAI emphasized its security program defends against insiders, cybercriminals, and nation-states, calling protection of its technology a matter of national importance. Alfozan appeared in federal court in San Francisco on Tuesday and is scheduled for a detention hearing on Monday. No lawyer was listed in court records representing him.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing