Staff at OpenAI and Anthropic are told to hide logos in public because their jobs make them targets. The advice applies to anyone who handles private information.
Workers at two of the biggest AI companies are being told to keep their employer's name out of sight when they are in public. OpenAI and Anthropic staff are seen as targets for spies hunting for inside information, and for people angry at the AI industry, according to the New York Post.
OpenAI tells employees not to wear anything with its logo outside the office. It also trains them to watch for spies who offer cash, friendship or romance. Its security sessions warn that rivals or spies working for rogue nations use methods ranging from eavesdropping in cafes to bribes.
Anthropic has all but banned branded merchandise. It reminds employees to conceal their badges when they leave the building, and it has reported people trying to photograph its offices. The company has also filed for an initial public offering, the step where a company first sells shares to the public.
One example, reported by the Wall Street Journal, involved a stranger who made small talk with an OpenAI employee at a San Francisco playground and then steered the conversation toward the employee's work. That person was a spy.
Staff are also reminded of small habits:
A real case shows the risk. Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, a Saudi national and former OpenAI engineer, was arrested Oct. 9. A federal complaint says he hid a recording device wrapped in toilet paper behind a TV in an executive conference room. OpenAI fired him. He is in jail awaiting his case because he is deemed a flight risk, and he has yet to enter a plea.
Not every threat is about secrets. The CEO of Corgi, an AI insurance startup, told the Journal in July that passersby stop daily outside its San Francisco cafe to shout and curse. Some blame AI for rising rents and water use.
In March, activists chalked messages outside OpenAI's San Francisco offices urging staff to quit over a defense deal with the Pentagon. In April 2026, CEO Sam Altman's home was targeted twice. One suspect threw a Molotov cocktail, and two others fired a shot outside. All three were arrested and have pleaded not guilty. Anthropic's IPO filing says it spent $2.7 million on personal security services for its CEO.
The father of one Anthropic employee says his son struggles to know whom to trust. "People focus on your company and your wealth," he said. "They overlook your character and your values."
Investor Miao Hong, who backs both companies, said he strongly supports the approach. He says AI employees are approached again and again by people looking for inside information.
Most people do not work on cutting-edge AI. But the lesson carries over. A friendly stranger who keeps steering the talk toward your job, your company or your clients may be after more than conversation. Sharing less in public costs little.
Be careful what you tell strangers about your job, your company or your clients, especially when the talk keeps drifting back to work.
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