Abdulrahman Alfozan, a former OpenAI engineer, has been accused by US federal prosecutors of planting an audio recording device in an executive conference room at the company’s San Francisco headquarters. The device, hidden in toilet paper and plugged into a television’s USB port, was discovered approximately two days after installation, before Alfozan’s arrest by the FBI on October 9, 2026. Prosecutors allege that Alfozan, who earned between $325,000 and $385,000 annually with a $2.2 million equity grant, maintained communications with a member of the Saudi royal family regarding his potential recruitment for a Saudi AI initiative. Alfozan joined OpenAI in July 2025 after working at Meta and Microsoft, and faces up to five years in prison on espionage charges. OpenAI stated it found no evidence that any data was stolen or exfiltrated.
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