OpenAI reported that a sophisticated recording device was hidden inside one of its office spaces. The device was planted by Abdulrahman Alfozan, a 35-year-old Saudi national and OpenAI employee, days before it was found. OpenAI referred the matter to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Abdulrahman Alfozan is a 35-year-old Saudi national who was employed by OpenAI. His role at the company placed him within the organization’s internal environment, giving him access to the premises where the device was later found.
We discovered a sophisticated recording device that was hidden inside one of our offices. We used our models to understand the device and where it had come from, identifying that a specific employee had planted it a few days earlier. We referred the matter to the FBI, and we’re grateful to the agents and prosecutors who moved quickly to make an arrest. The FBI’s investigation is ongoing and we will continue to support their work. At this time, we have no indications of this individual inappropriately accessing or exfiltrating model weights, source code, or customer data. The employee was terminated. We take protecting our technology, data, and people seriously, and as a matter of national importance. Our security program is designed to protect against a wide range of threat actors, from insider risks to cybercriminals to nation states, and this case is an example of how AI can help address these sophisticated security threats.
On October 9, 2026, agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested Alfozan on charges related to the planting of the hidden recorder. The Department of Justice confirmed the arrest.
OpenAI stated there were no indications that model weights, source code, or customer data were inappropriately accessed or exfiltrated.
OpenAI stated there were no indications that model weights, source code, or customer data were inappropriately accessed or exfiltrated.
‼️ BREAKING: We found a photo of the Saudi OpenAI engineer posing in Silicon Valley with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The engineer was arrested for bugging the executive conference room of OpenAI. The device was in a USB port behind a TV, hidden in toilet paper. https://t.co/6Z7dfStPOt
OpenAI terminated Abdulrahman Alfozan’s employment.
On October 13, 2026, OpenAI fired three safety researchers: Jasmine Wang, Tomek Korbak, and Mikita Balesni.
OpenAI said the decision was due to a significant breach of trust.
The three dismissed researchers responded in a letter, stating that their exits have intimidated remaining staff. They wrote that the firings "have made our former colleagues afraid to speak and operate in ways that, until last week, were an integral part of working at OpenAI."