OpenAI engineer arrested after hidden recording device discovered in office
Technology · 13 October 2026
Written by AI from multiple news reports
An engineer at OpenAI has been arrested for secretly recording conversations at the company's San Francisco office. Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, from Saudi Arabia, was arrested on 9 October 2026. He had worked at OpenAI since July 2025.
A small recording device was found in late September, hidden behind a television in a meeting room used by senior staff. It was plugged into a USB port and covered in toilet paper. OpenAI used its own AI tools to identify Alfozan as the person who placed it there. A second device was later found in his bag.
Alfozan was fired and charged with illegally recording private conversations. The FBI found no evidence that customer data or source code was taken.