Ex-OpenAI engineer accused of planting bug in office was in contact with Saudi royal family, preparing to leave U.S.

October 19, 2026 / 12:14 PM EDT / CBS News

A former OpenAI engineer who allegedly installed a sophisticated listening device in an executive conference room was in close contact with a member of the Saudi royal family and was planning to leave the U.S. for Riyadh when authorities arrested him, federal prosecutors said Sunday in a court memorandum.

Abdulrahman Alfozan is accused of tapping artificial intelligence tools to help him develop encrypted recording devices and identify meeting rooms used by OpenAI executives, government officials and business partners.

The Saudi national earned an annual paycheck of $385,000 at OpenAI and received a $2.2 million equity grant when he first joined the company in July 2025.

In an 11-page filing, prosecutors wrote that investigators recovered evidence suggesting Alfozan may have planned to place even more devices inside OpenAI offices. Prosecutors also revealed that the suspect engaged in WhatsApp messages with an unidentified Saudi royal who repeatedly encouraged him to return to the kingdom and join a Saudi AI initiative.

The filing also shows photographs of other potential surveillance locations, internal searches concerning meetings between OpenAI and Saudi government officials, and notes suggesting he planned to take back the devices before leaving…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/