OpenAI Employee Accused of Planting Hidden Recording Device in Meeting Room

Abdulrahman Alfozan, who worked on OpenAI’s product team, is accused of planting a hidden recording device in an executives’ meeting room. The 35-year-old Saudi Arabian citizen is a permanent resident of the US. He had worked at the company since July 2025. Alfozan was fired and arrested on October 9. He was charged with using an electronic device to record people’s voices without their consent.

According to the investigation, the device was placed in the company’s San Francisco office no later than September 28. OpenAI found it on September 30 while searching for hidden devices. The device had been wrapped in toilet paper, hidden behind a television and plugged into a USB port. Only executives and their assistants could book the room. Confidential meetings about research, products, business strategy and relations with government agencies were held there.

The device is a small board called the “Seeed XIAO ESP32-S3 Sense” that is about the width of a thumb. It sells for $13.99 (about 24 manat). The board has a removable camera sensor, a digital microphone and microSD storage. Its 2 MP camera costs $6.99 (about 12 manat). Although the camera captures blurry images, audio and other data can be transmitted over a 2.4 GHz wireless connection. OpenAI emphasized that the device could encrypt data and transmit it while evading monitoring systems. The company was unable to read the data on the memory card.

Prosecutors allege that over several weeks, Alfozan asked a digital assistant and an AI chatbot questions about building a hidden device. An account linked to his wife was used from September 24 to 30 to research continuous audio recording, wireless connectivity and live listening methods. The queries also concerned encrypting the memory card and accessing the device remotely. Alfozan also used an internal OpenAI tool to find out which meetings were scheduled in the targeted room. The prosecution links these queries to the construction and installation of the device.

OpenAI used AI models to analyze an exact digital replica of the device created for the investigation. The company also reviewed chat messages and surveillance camera footage. On October 5, a camera in the room recorded Alfozan looking behind the television. The hidden device’s camera also took his picture at that moment. A second encrypted device and a wallet were found in a bag he had left in the printer room. Alfozan later said that $500 (about 850 manat), a credit card and 2 pairs of AirPods were missing. However, he did not mention the second device.

According to FBI Director Kash Patel, the alleged objective was to intercept sensitive conversations about the company’s superintelligence technology. However, no further information about a possible motive has been disclosed. OpenAI says it found no indication that model parameters determining how the AI operates, source code or customer data had been obtained. If convicted, Alfozan faces up to 5 years in prison.