On Friday, November 6th, Abdulrahman Alfozan, a Saudi citizen accused of eavesdropping in a conference room at OpenAI, appeared in a federal court in San Francisco and declared his innocence of the charges against him.
During the preliminary hearing, Alfozan’s lawyer, David W. Rizk, announced that his client would plead not guilty to the accusation of wiretapping, a crime that carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Currently held in federal custody, Alfozan is scheduled to appear in court again on November 17th.
The allegations claim that around September 28, Alfozan concealed a thumb-sized circuit board and microphone wrapped in tissue paper behind a wall-mounted television in an executive meeting room at OpenAI. Alfozan has been a member of the OpenAI product team since July 2025.
Prosecutors have also indicated that Alfozan booked a one-way flight for himself, his wife, and their newborn son to travel from San Francisco to Saudi Arabia via Istanbul on October 12th. It is reported that shortly after his arrest, both his wife and child left the United States.
According to the prosecution, initial funds for the one-way tickets for his wife and child were provided by the Saudi government, but that flight was eventually canceled. Subsequently, a Saudi military personnel reportedly rebooked flights for them to Qatar, this time in business class.
Alfozan’s attorney noted that the military figure in question is the brother-in-law of Alfozan’s wife, and they assert that she left the country due to visa issues. The lawyer has previously mentioned that she intends to return to the United States to support her husband.
The indictment reveals that Alfozan began his position as an engineer at OpenAI in July 2025. By around September 30, OpenAI employees discovered a hidden recording device plugged into a USB interface on the back of a television located in a high-level executive conference room within the company’s San Francisco office building.
An investigation by OpenAI determined that the recording device had been wrapped in tissue paper and was installed approximately on September 28, and its contents were encrypted.
Surveillance footage from the OpenAI office showed Alfozan in the vicinity of the high-level executive meeting room several times prior to the discovery of the equipment. Notably, he did not possess the authorization to enter or attend meetings held in that space.
The indictment emphasizes that the conference room, where the recording device was located, regularly hosts discussions of highly confidential technical, commercial, and strategic information. This includes proprietary research, product planning, business development opportunities, and unpublished details regarding OpenAI’s technological advancements, strategic decisions, capabilities, priorities, government collaboration, and business relationships.
Further, the evidence presented in the indictment points out that Alfozan repeatedly used an office software application to seek information about OpenAI’s building address, meeting rooms, seating capacities, and schedules. He also looked into the office locations of “leadership and executives,” as well as meeting details with external partners.
Additionally, a chatbot account associated with Alfozan’s spouse (which shared data with Alfozan’s personal chatbot account) submitted various prompts between September 24 and September 30. These prompts pertained to the construction, customization, installation, recording, testing, obfuscation, and remote access of devices. The prompts included instructions like “build continuous recorder,” “customize Wi-Fi connection,” “enhance audio and real-time listening,” and “improve audio and real-time monitoring.” Specific prompts related to the hidden recording device were submitted between September 27 and 28, detailing its custom header and unique MAC address.
On October 5, Alfozan reportedly left an unattended bag in another room at the OpenAI building. Upon discovery by OpenAI’s security personnel, the bag was opened to reveal Alfozan’s wallet, identification, and another device similar to the previously found hidden recording equipment.
This ongoing case raises significant questions surrounding security protocols in tech companies and potential threats tied to sensitive information being compromised. As the hearings proceed, the tech industry and legal circles are closely monitoring the developments of this high-profile case.