Judge orders former OpenAI engineer accused of bugging room held
Original title: OpenAI Engineer Accused of Spying on Executives Ordered to Remain in Custody
Abdulrahman Alfozan faces up to five years on one interception count; the next hearing is November 6.
A federal magistrate in San Francisco ordered former OpenAI engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan to remain in custody pending trial, citing flight-risk concerns tied to alleged Saudi government support. Prosecutors say OpenAI found a hidden audio recorder in an executive conference room in late September, linked it to Alfozan, fired him, and the FBI then arrested him. He is charged with one count of using a device to intercept communications, punishable by five years, and prosecutors say more charges are possible. The defense denies he spied for Saudi Arabia and says home electronics were personal projects.
Unconfirmed: No motive is established; the defense denies Saudi espionage, and whether the device recorded anything is unknown.
- Judge Alex Tse rejected release after a Monday hearing.
- Prosecutors cite WhatsApp contact with an unnamed Saudi royal in 2025 and 2026.
- OpenAI says it found a second listening device in a bag Alfozan left at the office.
- Authorities say the recorder's data was encrypted, so it is unclear what was captured.
- His OpenAI pay included a $385,000 salary and a $2.2 million profit-sharing package.
- Victims
- OpenAI
- Organizations
- FBI
- Countries
- United StatesSaudi Arabia
From the original article
4 min read at wired.com
A judge ordered Abdulrahman Alfozan to remain in custody, likening the Saudi government’s offer to secure the former OpenAI engineer’s release to a “blank check.”
By Paresh Dave · wired.com
A short excerpt; the article and its images belong to the publisher. Summary, key facts and assessment above are AI-written from the article and can be wrong.