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OpenAI fires engineer over September 30 recorder
Livemint··3d ago
OpenAI engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, was arrested Friday after staff found a recorder in a conference room on September 30, a federal complaint said. The Saudi national faces intercepting oral communications. OpenAI said models helped identify him, fired him and referred the case to the FBI. It reported no access to weights, code or customer data.
Prism
What It Means For You
- OpenAI customers were told no model weights or customer data were accessed.
- Employees without conference-room access were captured on CCTV near the room.
- A second recorder was found in an unattended bag with his wallet and ID.
What's Happening
- The device was concealed in toilet paper and plugged into a TV USB port.
- New camera footage last week showed Alfozan checking behind the television.
- He appeared Tuesday in federal court in San Francisco on the intercept charge.
Corporate espionage tools
- Prosecutors cited productivity-tool searches for meeting rooms and building addresses.
- The complaint does not spell out what Alfozan planned to do with recordings.
- The FBI said its investigation remains ongoing with OpenAI's cooperation.
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