Ex-OpenAI worker expected to enter plea in secret recording device case

The man accused of planting a recording device at one of OpenAI s office buildings is set to enter his plea Friday in federal court. The recording device allegedly was planted in an executive conference room where highly confidential meetings take place. OpenAI personnel said they discovered it on September 30 behind a TV disguised in toilet paper. Days later, security footage captured the suspect, 35-year-old Saudi national Abdulrahman Alfozan, looking at the back of the TV after the device was found. Alfozan began working at OpenAI as an engineer in July 2025, according to the Department of Justice. He was been charged with using or endeavoring to use an electronic, mechanical, or other device to intercept oral communications. The criminal complaint also alleges that Alfozan left a bag unattended in a different room in an OpenAI building where his wallet, ID and another recording device were found. If convicted, Alfozan faces five years in prison, a $250,000 fine an