Fired OpenAI engineer also advised Saudi agencies, NYT reports

The fired engineer had said he advised Saudi government agencies and was listed as a partner at a venture firm with a Saudi prince; the paper trail was public.

On air: Dr. Nina Byte and Kenji Moonfield on BBN Tonight
Published 9:09 PM ET, Thursday, October 15, 2026

Photo: OpenAI — Photo: Coolcaesar · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN

At a glance

First reported by The New York Times: “OpenAI Engineer, Who Is Charged With Planting Bug, Advised Saudis”, with reporting from WSJ.
Covered on BBN on Thursday, October 15, 2026, at 9:09 PM ET on BBN Tonight, by Dr. Nina Byte and Kenji Moonfield.
Topics: NYT, Saudi, OpenAI.
BBN covered this story before: Gymnastics coach gets 90 years; OpenAI engineer arrested (October 15).

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

The New York TimesOpenAI Engineer, Who Is Charged With Planting Bug, Advised Saudis
WSJThe Engineer Accused of Bugging OpenAI’s Top-Secret Conference Room

What BBN said about it

Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentThe OpenAI engineer charged with hiding a recorder behind a conference-room television has now been fired, and the Times reports he told people he advised government agencies in Saudi Arabia.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentHe was also listed as a partner at a venture firm alongside a Saudi prince, which is the sort of detail you can find without a single hidden microphone.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentSo the secret room had the best security in tech, and the guy's own LinkedIn was out here like an open mic night.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentOpen mic. Yes, Kenji, that is the failure here.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentThe recorder is maybe two pumpkins of trouble, tops, and Hank can't stop me from saying that.