An engineer allegedly hid a recording device in an executive meeting room, raising hard questions for people leaders on workplace security and access
An OpenAI engineer has been arrested and charged in the United States for allegedly hiding a covert recording device in an executive conference room. The insider threat case puts pre-employment vetting, access controls and offboarding on the HR agenda.
A US Department of Justice statement released on 13 October 2026 (US time) named the employee as Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, a Saudi national who had worked at OpenAI as an engineer since July 2025. He was arrested on 9 October and charged with using or endeavouring to use a device to intercept oral communications. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and a US$250,000 fine.
An insider threat is a security risk posed by someone with legitimate access to an organisation, such as an employee or contractor, who misuses that access.
According to the criminal complaint, OpenAI staff found the device on or about 30 September. It was wrapped in toilet paper and plugged into a USB port behind a television in an executive conference room in San Francisco. The device had been installed about two days earlier, and its contents were encrypted.
Closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage showed Alfozan near the room on several dates, although he had no authority to enter it or attend meetings there, the department said. Before the device was installed, he allegedly used a productivity...
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