OpenAI engineer charged over hidden recording device, had one-way flight to Saudi Arabia

Federal prosecutors say a 35-year-old engineer planted a thumb-sized bug in OpenAI's San Francisco office before booking a one-way ticket out of the country An OpenAI engineer has been charged with planting a hidden audio recording device inside the company’s San Francisco office. Federal prosecutors say he had also booked a one-way ticket to Saudi Arabia. The accused, 35-year-old Abdulrahman Alfozan, was arrested on October 9, 2026. His flight was scheduled for October 12, which left investigators a three-day window to spare. The device itself was roughly the size of a thumb, equipped with a microphone and advanced encryption.

BeCrypto News shows a short excerpt and links to the publisher. The full report belongs to Crypto Briefing.