The employee, identified as 35-year-old Saudi national Abdulrahman Alfozan, was arrested on Friday, October 9, 2026, about a week after the ChatGPT maker discovered the device inside one of its offices, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court in San Francisco.
Although the complaint did not name the company, OpenAI confirmed in a separate statement that it had discovered a “sophisticated recording device” hidden inside one of its offices and reported the matter to the FBI. The company also confirmed that the employee had been fired.
An OpenAI spokesperson said the company used its models to analyse the device and trace its origin, identifying an employee who had allegedly planted it a few days earlier.
The spokesperson added that the company was grateful to the FBI and prosecutors for acting quickly, noting that the investigation was ongoing and that OpenAI would continue to cooperate with authorities.
According to the complaint, the device was sophisticated, designed to evade detection and equipped with advanced encryption and audio-monitoring capabilities. OpenAI also said it had evidence suggesting the employee planned to place additional listening devices in other parts of the office building to record meetings.
However, the complaint did not specify what Alfozan allegedly intended to do with any conversations captured by the device.
US Attorney General Todd Blanche said the alleged attempt to steal sensitive communications from OpenAI was being treated seriously, citing potential national security concerns surrounding intellectual property involving advanced artificial intelligence technology.
The FBI investigation remains ongoing.
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