Abdulrahman Alfozan, a product‑team member hired in July 2025, was dismissed the same day authorities detained him for planting a covert recorder in OpenAI’s San Francisco conference room. The device, plugged into a USB port behind a TV and wrapped in toilet paper, was uncovered during a security sweep on September 30.
The Justice Department filed a sealed complaint on October 8, citing Alfozan’s unauthorized access to a room that routinely hosted confidential meetings. In a motion, U.S. attorneys requested the documents be kept sealed, arguing disclosure could compromise the defendant’s arrest. The filing was unsealed the following day, revealing the ticket details.
Alfozan’s travel itinerary shows he booked a one‑way flight to Saudi Arabia via Istanbul for October 12, along with his wife and a relative. The motion highlighted that knowledge of the case could motivate an escape, underscoring the seriousness of the charges.
OpenAI confirmed the device’s discovery and said it had fired Alfozan immediately upon his arrest. The company’s security team has already begun a broader audit of internal access controls.
The defendant will appear before Magistrate Judge Alex G. Tse in the Northern District of California on October 19, where he is expected to enter a plea and hear the full indictment. Legal experts predict a vigorous defense, but the case will likely set a precedent for tech‑industry security breaches.