OpenAI Engineer Charged for Installing Recording Device; Tied to Saudi VC Firm
Abdulrahman Alfozan, a former OpenAI engineer and venture partner at Raed Ventures in Saudi Arabia, has been charged by the U.S. Department of Justice with installing an audio recording device inside an executive conference room at OpenAI's San Francisco office. The criminal complaint does not allege that he accessed or stole sensitive data such as model weights or source code. Alfozan was terminated from his position at OpenAI shortly after being arrested on October 9, and is now facing up to five years in prison if convicted. Raed Ventures lists Prince Khalid Bin Bader Al Saud of Saudi Arabia's royal family among its partners. A former CIA official described Raed as a de facto state organ, citing investments from government-linked entities like Saudi Venture Capital. The incident has raised concerns about potential economic espionage by the Saudi government against U.S. tech firms. OpenAI had previously engaged in discussions with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund regarding investment opportunities earlier this year.
Topics: cybersecurity data security government investigation OpenAI Saudi Arabia
Part of the story FBI Arrests Former OpenAI Engineer for Planting Recording Device (3 articles)