Ex-OpenAI engineer, who planted bug in office, connected to Saudi Royal family: Report

The ex-OpenAI employee had WhatsApp messages with an unidentified Saudi royal, who was encouraging him to leave the US and join Riyadh's AI initiative.

Published on: Oct 20, 2026, 13:45:04 IST

By HT News Desk

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A former OpenAI engineer, accused of planting a bug in its San Francisco office, reportedly had a contact close to the royal family in Saudi Arabia.

A man described as Abdulrahman Alfozan, a Saudi national employed as an OpenAI engineer, looks behind a television where a recording device had been placed at a conference room in OpenAI offices, (via REUTERS)

Saudi national Abdulrahman Alfozan was arrested earlier this month and he has been 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.

According to the 11-page filing by the US Justice Department accessed by CBS News, the former OpenAI employee had engaged in WhatsApp messages with an unidentified Saudi royal, who was encouraging him to leave the US and join the kingdom's AI initiative instead.

"Saudi needs you more than [sic] the US!" the member wrote, part of a campaign to recruit the defendant, said prosecutors. Alfozan agreed but said he wouldn't leave until his stock vested.

The filing also showed photographs of locations and internal searches regarding meetings between OpenAI and Saudi government officials. As per CBS, the notes in the filing suggested that Alfozan planned to take back the devices before parting ways with the ChatGPT company.

As per prosecutors, in the "days surrounding the time period that the device was installed, OpenAI executives met with government officials in that very room," alleging the "defendant's conduct could pose a danger to the national security of the United States."

The Saudi national was arrested on October 9, three days before he was scheduled to depart San Francisco with his wife and infant son on a one-way flight to Riyadh.

Also Read | OpenAI engineer arrested over hidden recording device had booked one-way ticket to Saudi

Despite his arrest, prosecutors have alleged that Alfozan's wife and 3-month-old son left the US on business-class tickets purchased by a Saudi military official.

The ex-OpenAI engineer is detained pending trial and is scheduled to appear before the court in November.

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