A Saudi national employee was arrested on suspicion of hiding a recording device in an OpenAI conference room

Odaily News — According to statements from OpenAI and the U.S. Department of Justice, an OpenAI employee was arrested and criminally charged for using a concealed recording device in a company conference room. The U.S. Department of Justice said Tuesday that Saudi national Abdulrahman Alfozan was arrested on October 9. Previously, OpenAI employees discovered a recording device behind a television in an executive conference room. Alfozan is currently in federal custody.

A person familiar with the matter revealed that Alfozan joined OpenAI in July 2025 and worked on the company's product team. OpenAI stated that the company used its own AI models to analyze the device and identify the person who placed it in the conference room. It is reported that the room is frequently used for discussions involving confidential research, product plans, business strategy, government affairs, and business relationships. The employee has been fired. OpenAI said in a post on Tuesday that it has found no evidence that the individual improperly accessed or stole model weights, source code, or customer data. The company has reported the matter to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which carried out the arrest, and the investigation is still ongoing.