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OpenAI engineer arrested by FBI for allegedly bugging office had booked one-way flight to Saudi Arabia
New York Post • • general
Key Points:
- Abdulrahman Alfozan, an OpenAI engineer and Saudi national, was arrested by the FBI three days before his flight to Saudi Arabia after being charged with planting a concealed audio recording device in an OpenAI conference room.
- The device was hidden in a USB port on a TV and wrapped in toilet paper, capturing confidential meetings about OpenAI’s proprietary research and government relations, according to federal prosecutors.
- Alfozan, who previously worked at Meta and a startup backed by Andreessen Horowitz, was also a venture partner at RAED Ventures in Riyadh and had connections with Saudi royalty, including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
- The arrest underscores the intense global competition among governments to develop advanced AI technologies, with U.S. officials emphasizing the case as a national security matter.
- Alfozan’s lawyer stated he was charged with violating a federal recording statute, not espionage or theft of trade secrets, and asked the public to withhold judgment until all facts are known.
