Engineer Charged Over Hidden Listening Device Found in AI Company's Executive Meeting Room

A Saudi national who worked as an engineer for OpenAI has been charged in the United States with secretly bugging an executive conference room at a company building in San Francisco. Federal prosecutors allege that Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, inserted an audio recording device into a USB port at the back of a television. He is charged with using or attempting to use a device to intercept oral communications, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

According to the criminal complaint, the room often hosted discussions of sensitive research, product and business plans, and government and commercial relationships. OpenAI staff found the device on 30 September, about two days after it was installed. Its recordings were encrypted, and it was wrapped in toilet paper. Prosecutors say Alfozan was not authorised to enter the room or attend those meetings, yet security footage showed him near it several times. They also allege he used an internal productivity tool to look up meeting-room calendars and the locations of leadership meetings. A week later, footage allegedly showed him checking behind the television, and security found his unattended bag containing a second, similar device.

Prosecutors have not identified an intended recipient of the recordings, and have not alleged that Alfozan was acting for a foreign government. The allegations have not been tested in court.