OpenAI fires employee after finding recording device in conference room

OpenAI has fired an employee after discovering a “sophisticated” recording device hidden in one of its offices, and using its own models to “understand” the gadget and where it had come from, announced the ChatGPT-maker on October 14.

OpenAI stated that a specific employee had planted it a few days ago and that the U.S. FBI was investigating the matter.

The U.S. Justice Department confirmed that a national of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, had been arrested on October 9.

He had been working at OpenAI since July 2025.

“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,” stated OpenAI, adding that the case showed how AI could help address security threats.

The discovery was made towards the end of September, when OpenAI personnel found a recording device hidden in toilet paper and inserted into a TV’s USB port in an office conference room in San Francisco, per an official complaint.

CCTV footage featured Mr. Alfozan near that location despite not being authorised to take part in meetings there. Other factors that aroused suspicion were his use of a productivity tool to track company meetings, and the use of a chatbot account associated with his spouse, where there were prompts related to recording devices.

According to the complaint, another similar recording device was found in Mr. Alfozan’s bag, while there was an image of Mr. Alfozan appearing to look at the place where the device was hidden.

“According to the complaint unsealed today, Abdulrahman Alfozan allegedly concealed a covert recording device inside his employer’s executive conference room to secretly capture sensitive communications about the company’s super intelligence technology,” said FBI Director Kash Patel.

“This serious situation underscores why winning the global super intelligence race is a national security prerogative,” Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton said.

If he is convicted, Mr. Alfozan faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, followed by three years of supervised release.

The investigation is ongoing.