OpenAI employee arrested for planting covert recording device in executive conference room

The U.S. Department of Justice said a 35-year-old OpenAI employee, Abdulrahman Alfozan, was arrested on Oct. 9 for allegedly placing a covert recording device inside the firm’s executive conference room. Federal investigators reported that Alfozan, a Saudi national, was not authorized to enter the room and was captured on video near the space on several occasions before the device was discovered.

According to the DOJ, a bag belonging to Alfozan was also found on or about Oct. 5, containing his wallet, identification and a second recording device similar to the one hidden in the conference room. The device was concealed in toilet paper and its data were encrypted.

FBI Director Kash Patel said Alfozan “allegedly concealed a covert recording device inside his employer’s executive conference room to secretly capture sensitive communications about the company’s super intelligence technology.”

OpenAI confirmed the employee was terminated and stated that, “at this time, we have no indications of this individual inappropriately accessing or exfiltrating model weights, source code, or customer data.” The company added that it takes the protection of its technology, data and personnel seriously.

The incident occurs amid heightened scrutiny of AI firms’ safety practices following several recent cyber incidents involving autonomous agents. Last week, OpenAI defended the dismissal of three safety researchers, citing a breach of trust and policy violations related to handling sensitive information.