AI Caught the Spy: OpenAI Engineer Hid Recorder Behind TV Trumped by Toilet Paper

Federal agents arrested a 35-year-old OpenAI engineer on Oct. 9 after the company discovered an encrypted audio recorder hidden behind a television in one of its San Francisco executive conference rooms, according to the Justice Department and statements from OpenAI. The device, plugged into a USB port and wrapped in toilet paper, was found by staff on or around Sept. 30 and dated to an installation of around Sept. 28. OpenAI said it used its own models to analyze the device and identify the employee it believes planted it. "We discovered a sophisticated recording device that was hidden inside one of our offices," the company said on X. "We used our models to understand the device and where it had come from, identifying that a specific employee had planted it a few days earlier." The company referred the case to the FBI.

The suspect has been identified as Abdulrahman Alfozan, a Saudi national who has worked as an engineer at OpenAI since July 2025. He is charged with using or attempting to use a device to intercept oral communications and made his initial appearance in federal court on Tuesday, with the complaint unsealed on Oct. 13. Security cameras allegedly placed Alfozan near the room on several dates before the discovery, including 10 visits between Sept. 8 and 29, even though he had no authorization to enter or attend its meetings. According to the criminal complaint, before the device was installed, Alfozan used an internal productivity tool to ask about OpenAI's building addresses, meeting rooms, room capacities, calendars, and the locations where leadership and outside partners met.

Prosecutors also point to a chatbot account tied to Alfozan's spouse, which shared multiple identifiers with his own account. Between Sept. 24 and 30, that account allegedly asked how to build a continuous audio recorder, add Wi-Fi connectivity, improve live listening, and encrypt the device's SD card. On Sept. 27 and 28, the same account allegedly referenced the recovered device's Media Access Control (MAC) address. Security later found a second, similar recorder in a bag Alfozan left unattended, which he retrieved from Lost and Found on Oct. 6 without asking about the recorder; cameras on Oct. 5 had shown him appearing to look behind the TV. "The FBI's investigation is ongoing and we will continue to support their work," OpenAI said.

The Justice Department framed the case in national security terms, with prosecutors noting the room regularly hosted discussions of confidential technical, product, business development, and government matters. FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau views protecting super intelligence (SI) innovation as a top counterintelligence priority, and the department tied the prosecution to a presidential memorandum backing American leadership in the field.

"At this time, we have no indications of this individual inappropriately accessing or exfiltrating model weights, source code, or customer data," OpenAI said. "The employee was terminated." The company added, "We take protecting our technology, data, and people seriously, and as a matter of national importance."