OpenAI engineer charged with hiding recording device in executive conference room

US federal prosecutors have charged an OpenAI engineer with secretly planting an audio recording device in an executive conference room at one of the company's San Francisco offices, according to BleepingComputer and SecurityWeek. The suspect, Abdulrahman Alfozan, a 35-year-old Saudi national who had worked at OpenAI since July 2025, was arrested on October 9. The Department of Justice announced the case on October 13. It is an unusual insider threat case at one of the world's most closely watched technology companies.

What happened

According to BleepingComputer's account of the DOJ's allegations, the device was installed around September 28 and found by OpenAI security staff on September 30. It was concealed in toilet paper and plugged into a USB port on the back of a television in a conference room that, per the DOJ, was regularly used for meetings on confidential research, product plans, technical capabilities, business relationships and government engagements. The DOJ said the device contained encrypted data.

SecurityWeek reports that the criminal complaint was filed in federal court in San Francisco and that Alfozan faces one count of using, or attempting to use, a device to intercept oral communications. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, BleepingComputer said. According to SecurityWeek, the complaint does not say what he intended to do with any recordings.

How the suspect was identified

According to the reports, company CCTV showed Alfozan near the conference room on multiple occasions, about six times in the previous month according to SecurityWeek, although he was not authorized to attend meetings there. The room had no camera when the device was installed. After the discovery, OpenAI added one. On October 5, the new camera allegedly recorded him returning to the room and checking behind the television.

Prosecutors also allege that he used an internal productivity tool to look up office addresses, meeting rooms, room capacities, executive locations and calendars. BleepingComputer reports that a chatbot account linked to his spouse allegedly received questions about building and hiding recording devices, including continuous audio recording, Wi-Fi changes and encrypting an SD card. Security staff also found a second, similar device in a bag he had left unattended in another room, the reports say.

OpenAI's response

OpenAI said on X that it found a "sophisticated recording device" hidden in one of its offices, reported it to the FBI and fired the employee. The company said it used its own models during the investigation to identify the device and the employee who planted it. It also said it has no indication that he accessed or exfiltrated model weights, source code or customer data. OpenAI added that the FBI investigation is ongoing. SecurityWeek noted it was not clear whether Alfozan had a lawyer.

What organizations can learn

The case shows that insider threats can be physical as well as digital. Organizations that hold sensitive research or strategic plans should consider:

• Periodic technical sweeps of executive and board meeting rooms, including USB ports on displays and conferencing equipment.
• Restricting and logging physical access to sensitive rooms, with camera coverage of entrances.
• Monitoring unusual internal searches for executive schedules, room details and calendars.
• Making sure insider threat programs bring physical security, HR and security operations teams together.