Who is Abdulrahman Alfozan? Ex-OpenAI and Meta engineer arrested by FBI over alleged hidden recording device, career, education and prison sentence

A hidden recording device inside a conference room, a security investigation involving one of the world's most prominent artificial intelligence companies, and a former employee now facing federal charges. The case surrounding Abdulrahman Alfozan, a 35-year-old Saudi national and former OpenAI engineer, has raised questions about corporate security and the protection of sensitive AI research. US federal prosecutors allege that Alfozan planted a covert audio recording device in an executive conference room at OpenAI's San Francisco headquarters, where confidential discussions reportedly took place. Arrested by the FBI on October 9, 2026, he remains in federal custody, with a detention hearing scheduled for October 19, according to the US Department of Justice. Authorities have described the allegations as a matter of national security, but crucial questions remain unanswered.