OpenAI Engineer Charged With Planting Covert Recorder in Executive Conference Room
Abdulrahman Alfozan allegedly hid a $13.99 Seeed XIAO ESP32-S3 Sense in toilet paper behind a monitor at an OpenAI San Francisco office, according to a federal criminal complaint.
A criminal complaint unsealed on Tuesday alleges that OpenAI engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan hid an audio recording device in toilet paper and attached it behind a monitor in an executive conference room at an OpenAI San Francisco office.
According to the complaint, Alfozan used an internal OpenAI tool and a chatbot to ask about meetings scheduled in the targeted conference room and to get technical help in setting up a covert recorder. OpenAI's security team found a recording device during a countersurveillance sweep on September 30, and a second device in a bag Alfozan left in a printer room on October 5. The device was identified as a Seeed XIAO ESP32-S3 Sense, a thumb-sized development board with a detachable camera sensor, digital microphone, and microSD storage retailing for $13.99.
Alfozan appeared in US district court in San Francisco on Tuesday on one charge of using an electronic, mechanical, or other device to intercept oral communications, facing up to five years in prison if convicted. FBI director Kash Patel said Alfozan aimed to secretly capture sensitive communications about the company's super intelligence technology. OpenAI said it found no indications that Alfozan inappropriately accessed or exfiltrated model weights, source code, or customer data. Security teams could not review the data on the encrypted microSD card.
The case was first reported by wired.com. Alfozan joined OpenAI in July 2025 and was fired last Friday to coincide with his arrest, the company said. He previously worked at a cargo logistics startup and at Meta, and is listed as a part-time venture partner at the Saudi Arabian venture capital firm RAED Ventures.
Background
In 2025, the Trump administration signed a pact with Saudi Arabia granting the kingdom access to advanced chips and AI technologies that might otherwise be restricted over national security concerns. In a recent podcast interview, Alfozan said he was part of a group of Saudi engineers in Silicon Valley who offered consulting services to Saudi organizations.
Quick answers
What was Abdulrahman Alfozan charged with?
He faces one charge of using an electronic, mechanical, or other device to intercept oral communications, and could face up to five years in prison if convicted.
What device was found in the OpenAI office?
A Seeed XIAO ESP32-S3 Sense, a thumb-sized development board with a detachable camera sensor, digital microphone, and microSD storage retailing for $13.99.
Did OpenAI find any evidence of data theft?
OpenAI said it found no indications that Alfozan inappropriately accessed or exfiltrated model weights, source code, or customer data.