Employee Who Bugged OpenAI Had Saudi Royal Ties, U.S. Prosecutors Say

Prosecutors allege that the OpenAI employee accused of bugging OpenAI’s office had ties to the Saudi Arabian royal family, according to a Sunday filing from the U.S. Attorney’s office in San Francisco.

The FBI arrested Saudi Arabian national Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, on October 9 after OpenAI found a recording device hidden in one of its meeting rooms and fired Alfozan. The arrest fuelled fears of AI companies facing foreign espionage threats in the global AI race.

According to the filing, Alfozan was in touch with an unnamed member of the Saudi royal family and exchanged “frequent” messages, the latest of which was four days before Alfozan was arrested.

The royal tried to recruit Alfozan to an AI initiative the Kingdom was launching, telling Alfozan that ““Saudi needs you more then [sic] the US!” to which the defendant responded ‘100,’ indicating he agreed.” Alfozan, who had been making $385,000 a year at OpenAI and had a $2.2 million equity package, also told the royal that he wouldn’t leave OpenAI until his stock vested, the filing said.

Alfozan had booked a one-way ticket for him and his wife and son to fly back to Saudi Arabia on October 12, but was arrested three days before the flight. After his arrest, a member of the Saudi military re-booked his wife and son a flight to Qatar, the filing says.

The filing asks for Alfozan to be detained in the U.S. to prevent him from fleeing with “considerable support from a foreign government.”