A wide-eyed surveillance photo of an OpenAI engineer accused of planting a secret recording device in the company’s offices has become an instant internet punchline — with online jokesters comparing his startled expression to a screaming goat and Gollum from “The Lord of the Rings.”
Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, was caught on camera peering behind a television in an executive conference room at OpenAI’s San Francisco offices, days after security personnel discovered a hidden listening device plugged into the TV, according to federal prosecutors.
The image shows the Saudi national, who was arrested by the FBI on Oct. 9, looking around the television with his eyes wide open and mouth slightly agape.
Social media users wasted little time turning the photo into a barrage of memes mocking the former OpenAI engineer’s bewildered-looking expression.
“It was at this moment, he knew he f–ked up,” read one meme, which featured the surveillance image with Alfozan’s face circled in red.
“The face he made when the fbi knocked on his door…” X user Chet (@WeirdSciChet) quipped alongside an enlarged version of the photo.
The popular X account Autism Capital posted a photo of a bug-eyed, open-mouthed goat, apparently poking fun at Alfozan’s expression.
Morgan Wyatt Khan (@MorganWKhan), meanwhile, shared a GIF of the grotesque, snarling Gollum character from “The Lord of the Rings” with the caption: “His reaction to being caught…”
Another X user, helix (@helixbase), posted a close-up of Alfozan’s face with the caption: “when you ask ChatGPT how to hide a bug and then ChatGPT finds it.”
The joke appeared to reference allegations in the federal complaint that a ChatGPT account associated with Alfozan’s wife was used to ask questions about recording equipment, including ways to conceal and encrypt it.
OpenAI has also said it used its own AI models to help investigate the device and identify the person responsible for planting it.
Other users poked fun at the awkward angle of the surveillance photo.
“Literally anyone trying to line up a plug behind their night stand or TV,” X user Bewildered Beast (@itsbewildered) wrote alongside the close-up.
On Reddit, where the photo also circulated, users questioned why a surveillance camera had been positioned behind the television.
One commenter explained that the camera was installed after the listening device was discovered, prompting Reddit user RollingMeteors to wisecrack: “What I heard was, ‘To get this photo:’”
The user attached a cropped version of Alfozan’s wide-eyed face.
Prosecutors allege that Alfozan, who joined OpenAI in July 2025, installed a covert audio-recording device behind a television in an executive conference room around Sept. 28.
The device, which was concealed in toilet paper and plugged into a USB port, was discovered by OpenAI personnel around Sept. 30, according to the Justice Department.
On Oct. 5, Alfozan returned to the room and appeared to inspect the area behind the television, prosecutors allege.
Investigators also discovered a second recording device in an unattended bag containing his wallet and identification, according to the complaint.
Alfozan, who previously worked at Meta, was fired by OpenAI on the day of his arrest.
He has been charged with using or attempting to use an electronic device to intercept oral communications, a federal offense punishable by up to five years in prison.
His attorney, William Pernik, has described the allegations as “wholly out of character” and cautioned against drawing conclusions based on his client’s Saudi nationality.
The complaint does not allege that Alfozan acted on behalf of a foreign government, and OpenAI has said it found no indication that he improperly accessed or stole model weights, source code or customer data.
Alfozan has not been convicted, and a further court hearing is scheduled for Oct. 19.