What we know so far: In a prime example of the cloak-and-dagger world of tech espionage, a Saudi national has been arrested for allegedly planting a recording device in OpenAI's executive conference room. It's claimed that Abdulrahman Alfozan wrapped the device in toilet paper and inserted it into a USB port on the back of a TV.
The "sophisticated recording device" was discovered by OpenAI on or around September 30 in one of its San Francisco offices. The company determined that it had been planted a few days earlier. Its security team tried to export the microSD card's data but couldn't examine it because it was encrypted.
The Justice Department says Alfozan, 35, had worked as an engineer at OpenAI since July 2025. He was arrested on October 9 and appeared in federal court on October 13, charged with using or attempting to use a device to intercept oral communications.
In a particularly ironic twist, prosecutors allege that a chatbot helped with the scheme. An account associated with Alfozan's spouse submitted questions about continuous recording, Wi-Fi connectivity, live listening, and encryption. Some prompts even referenced the device's unique MAC address.
Alfozan also allegedly used a productivity tool to locate executives and research meeting rooms and calendars. The targeted room hosted discussions about proprietary research, products, government engagements, and other sensitive matters.
The hardware was a thumb-sized Seeed XIAO ESP32-S3 Sense development board, which retails for $13.99. It seems spying doesn't require a budget to match James Bond's.
It also sounds like Alfozan was a lot less spy-like in his actions than 007. Prosecutors say CCTV showed him near the room despite lacking authorization to enter. On October 5, he allegedly returned and looked behind the television.
That day, security staff searched a bag he left in a printer room, finding another encrypted recorder and his wallet. The second device was similar to the one discovered behind the television. Alfozan later recovered the bag from lost and found. He reported a credit card, around $500 and two AirPods missing, but failed to mention the recorder that security had removed.
OpenAI says it used its own AI models to help identify the employee, informed the FBI, and gradually disabled his access during the investigation. He has since been fired. The company reports no indication that model weights, source code, or customer data were improperly accessed or taken.
"We take protecting our technology, data, and people seriously, and as a matter of national importance," OpenAI wrote on X.
– OpenAI Newsroom (@OpenAINewsroom) October 13, 2026
There's still no publicly disclosed motive for what happened. Wired reports that Alfozan's LinkedIn profile lists him as a part-time "venture partner" at RAED Ventures, a venture capital firm based in Saudi Arabia.
Alfozan faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted. The FBI investigation remains ongoing.
OpenAI employee arrested for hiding recording device in executive meeting room
