OpenAI Engineer Accused of Spying Allegedly Received Saudi Royal Family Support
Federal prosecutors claim Abdulrahman Alfozan was in contact with Saudi officials and received help for his family's travel plans prior to his arrest.
Former OpenAI engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, was allegedly in regular contact with a member of the Saudi royal family and received assistance from Saudi government officials as he planned to secretly record high-level meetings at the AI firm, according to a court filing unsealed Sunday. Prosecutors allege that Alfozan hatched a scheme to equip OpenAI's conference rooms with custom, encrypted recording devices.
US attorneys stated in a filing seeking Alfozan’s detention that he "went to significant lengths to create customized, encrypted recording devices to secretly record highly sensitive meetings involving senior OpenAI personnel and executives, high-level business counterparts, and government officials, all while communicating with individuals of significance in Saudi Arabia and pursuing opportunities in — and making plans to travel to — Saudi Arabia."
Prosecutors revealed that a Saudi military official purchased a one-way, business class ticket for Alfozan’s wife and son, who were preparing to relocate to Saudi Arabia with Alfozan intending to join them later. Alfozan's wife and son departed the U.S. 36 hours after his arrest. The filing stated, "He had intended to fly from San Francisco to Riyadh (via Istanbul) with his wife and son on a one-way ticket on October 12, 2026. Having been arrested by the FBI three days prior, the defendant did not make that flight."
A text message cited by prosecutors indicated that a Saudi royal attempted to recruit Alfozan for an AI-related position, with the royal allegedly writing, "Saudi needs you more then the US!" Alfozan reportedly responded, "100."
Alfozan, who was fired from OpenAI, also listed as a venture partner at RAED Ventures in Riyadh alongside Prince Khalid bin Bader Al Saud, a member of the Saudi royal family. Alfozan had earned a $385,000 salary at OpenAI, along with a new hire equity grant of $2,200,000 in profit participation units. He was accused on October 9 of planting a small recording device, concealed in toilet paper, into a USB port behind a conference room television at OpenAI's San Francisco headquarters. The Saudi government's press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.