OpenAI Engineer Arrested for Alleged Corporate Espionage; US Prosecutors Cite Saudi Government Connections

A Saudi national employed as an engineer at OpenAI was arrested on October 9 after company security discovered surreptitious recording devices planted in an executive conference room, with federal prosecutors alleging the defendant received financial and logistical support from the Saudi government. Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, who joined OpenAI in July 2025 on a $325,000 annual salary (later raised to $385,000) plus $2.2 million in equity, was charged with using or attempting to use an electronic device to intercept oral communications—a federal crime carrying a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.