Abdulrahman Alfozan, a 35-year-old former OpenAI employee, was arrested by the US Department of Justice on October 9. He is charged with using electronic equipment to intercept oral communications after a recording device was discovered hidden behind a television in an OpenAI executive conference room.
Alfozan, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate, joined OpenAI in 2025. Prior to his tenure at the company, he held positions at Facebook, Akamai Technologies, SAP, and Microsoft. He also served as a partner at RAED Ventures and was a founding engineer at the startup Nash.
The investigation revealed that Alfozan had booked one-way tickets to Saudi Arabia for himself and family members, prompting concerns from the Department of Justice regarding a potential flight risk. His attorney, William Pernik, noted that the charges relate to federal recording laws rather than allegations of trade secret theft or acting as a foreign agent.
Alfozan had previously established a non-profit organization called Saudi Silicon Valley and participated in a professional group known as Sunday@6. He frequently expressed his intention to gain technical expertise in Silicon Valley to eventually contribute to the technology sector in his home country of Saudi Arabia.
