OpenAI Employee Arrested for Planting Listening Device

A Saudi national employed by OpenAI has been arrested after a listening device was found in a company conference room. OpenAI reported on Tuesday that one of its employees was arrested following the discovery of a "sophisticated recording device" in one of its San Francisco offices. The 35-year-old engineer was arrested on Friday, a week after the device was discovered, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court in San Francisco. Following the discovery, OpenAI reported the incident to the FBI and terminated the employee. A federal investigation is ongoing. The suspect appeared in court on Tuesday and has been charged with using or attempting to use an electronic, mechanical, or other device to intercept oral communications. The complaint did not specify the intended use of the recordings but noted that the suspect had inquired about the company's building addresses, meeting rooms, and their capacities and calendars. OpenAI stated that the device was discovered shortly after it was allegedly planted by the suspect. A spokesperson for the company mentioned, "We used our models to understand the device and where it had come from, identifying that a specific employee had planted it a few days earlier." The spokesperson added that there are no indications of the individual accessing or exfiltrating model weights, source code, or customer data. According to the US Justice Department, the suspect concealed a USB device in toilet paper and hid it inside a television in an "executive conference room." The suspect was seen on camera near the room multiple times without authorization to attend meetings there. After this was noted, an additional camera was installed, capturing the suspect checking on the hidden device.