Abdulrahman Alfozan, a 35-year-old Saudi national who joined OpenAI’s product team in July 2025, is accused of turning access to one of Silicon Valley’s most guarded workplaces into a covert listening operation.¹

The alleged scheme began taking shape in late September. Prosecutors say an account linked to Alfozan’s wife searched for information on building access, device installation, audio recording, obfuscation and remote access. Around the same period, investigators allege, Alfozan used a workplace tool to seek details on meeting rooms, executive calendars and leadership gatherings.²

On or around Sept. 28, authorities say, a recorder was planted in an executive conference room at OpenAI’s San Francisco office. The device was wrapped in toilet paper and inserted into a USB port behind a television. A Sept. 30 security sweep found it; OpenAI said the device had advanced encryption, could capture audio and was designed to transfer data without attracting attention.¹

The room was no ordinary meeting space. According to the Justice Department, it was used for confidential discussions of proprietary research, product plans, commercial opportunities and OpenAI’s technical progress, government engagement and strategic priorities.³

OpenAI says it used its own AI models to analyze the device and trace its origin to an employee, then referred the case to the FBI. The company fired Alfozan after his Oct. 9 arrest; he later made his first federal court appearance on a charge of using an electronic device to intercept oral communications.²

The company has sought to draw a crucial boundary around the incident: “At this time, we have no indications” that Alfozan accessed or removed model weights, source code or customer data.¹ Prosecutors, however, cast the alleged conduct in starker terms. “For us it is a matter of national security,” U.S. Attorney Craig Missakian said, framing the case as an effort to protect valuable technology from theft.³ Alfozan’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.¹