Abdulrahman Alfozan was an excellent student with seniority in Silicon Valley, until he was arrested for allegedly placing a listening device in the OpenAI office.

On October 13, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35 years old, a Saudi national, was arrested by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on October 9 for placing a wiretapping device at OpenAI.

According to court records, the day before his arrest, the DOJ expressed concern that Alfozan would flee because he had been prepared to leave the US in advance. Alfozan, his wife and another family member booked a one-way flight to Saudi Arabia.

Business Insider quoted internal sources as saying that, despite his career in Silicon Valley, Alfozan always looks towards his homeland. This person even created a non-profit organization that connects Silicon Valley talent with Saudi Arabian companies, as well as has a private chat group connecting other experts in the Gulf technology industry.

After being arrested, Alfozan's interview with Identity Capital - a podcast channel specializing in sharing real stories and career journeys of experts in many fields - at the end of September was also revived. In it, Alfozan explains that he wants to return to contribute to his homeland.

"Silicon Valley was the best place for me to hone my technical expertise," Alfozan said. "You learn at the source of technology, then bring those skills and experiences home."

From Saudi Arabia to Silicon Valley

Alfozan was born and attended primary and secondary school in Dammam, the capital of the Eastern region of Saudi Arabia. He is considered eager to learn, often staying after school or during breaks to meet computer teachers, asking them to answer many different questions, including things that have nothing to do with the curriculum.

After finishing high school, Alfozan matriculated into the program for outstanding students at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology and graduated from there. He was then accepted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, studying computer science and engineering.

According to his LinkedIn profile, while studying at MIT, Alfozan interned at several famous software companies such as Akamai Technologies, SAP and Microsoft, and spent his winter break working at a 30 megawatt power plant in Ghana. However, MIT confirmed that Alfozan attended the undergraduate program in September 2011-January 2014, then continued in February-May 2016, but did not have a diploma.

In 2020, Alfozan won second prize in the Saudi Covid-19 Challenge hackathon worth $50,000. Three years later, he applied for a master's degree at UC Berkeley. This school confirmed that he attended from January 2023 to May 2025 and received his degree.

Since he was studying at MIT, Alfozan has been sought after by many technology companies. He decided to choose Meta because of the abundant talent source here. In many ways, Alfozan is considered a perfect fit for Silicon Valley's technology culture. He idolizes Elon Musk, praises X as the best platform for technology experts, and is active on the Github source code platform...

However, Alfozan always turned his mind to his homeland. In the podcast Identity Capital, he said that right before deciding to join Meta, he still asked himself the question: "Should I return to Saudi Arabia immediately, or should I stay in the US and continue to gain experience?".

Homesick

"How can we contribute to the country while still living abroad?", he shared in the podcast. "My body is in California, but there must be some way to help from afar."

After joining Meta, Alfozan founded a nonprofit consulting group Saudi Silicon Valley, including a number of former employees of software firms Palantir and Apple. Sharing with Arab Gulf States Institute mid-year, he said he is participating in a WhatsApp chat group with about a dozen experts from the Gulf to discuss the technology field in Arabic every Sunday night at 6pm.

Alfozan also founded a technology startup backed by Y Combinator and also participated in the venture capital industry, becoming a partner at Raed Ventures - a venture capital unit focusing on the Middle East and North Africa region. The organization's website lists Alfozan as joining in February 2025, "as a seasoned technology expert with extensive knowledge of startups, entrepreneurship and scaling technology companies."

In July 2025, Alfozan joined OpenAI, taking on the role of technical lead focusing on AI agents and data platforms. In the podcast, he said that after a year of work, "the amount of development is so much that it's impossible to count."

Besides OpenAI, Alfozan is said to be increasing its influence by connecting experts from its home country with Silicon Valley. According to Financial Times, before being discovered to have placed eavesdropping devices in the OpenAI office and being fired, he led a delegation that brought many senior Saudi technology leaders to San Francisco, then toured the OpenAI office in September.

Alfozan is currently in custody on charges of using or attempting to use an electronic, mechanical or other device to eavesdrop on verbal communications. This person will have his first hearing on October 19. If convicted, he could face up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

Bao Lam summary

• OpenAI employee was arrested for recording in the meeting room