NSO, the Israeli company behind iPhone spyware Pegasus, is being acquired by a group of investors led by Hollywood producer Robert Simonds. Here are the details.
Other members of the investor group remain undisclosed.
Long-time 9to5Mac readers are probably familiar with Pegasus, NSO Group’s spyware that uses zero-click exploits in iOS and Android to give government agencies access to targeted phones.
Over the years, Pegasus and the NSO Group have been involved in multiple controversies and lawsuits, including one filed by Meta, which in 2019 sued the firm for allegedly targeting WhatsApp users through a zero-click exploit and was awarded $167 million earlier this year.
Behind the scenes, NSO Group has had its share of drama, too. After a share buyback, control of the company was transferred in March 2023 to a holding entity owned by Omri Lavie, one of its original founders.
Following the ownership change, Hollywood producer Robert Simonds joined NSO’s board and attempted to acquire the company. He resigned five months later, after the deal fell through.
Now, Simonds has reportedly reached a new agreement to acquire the company for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition has been accepted in principle, but still needs to be approved by Israel’s Defense Export Control Agency, as well as the FTC in the US.
As noted by CTech, one possible hudrle may be Simonds’ prior business ties to China:
“He founded STX Entertainment in 2012 with investments from Hony Capital, a Chinese private equity fund controlled by Legend Holdings, the parent company of Lenovo. In 2016, additional investors joined, including Tencent and Hong Kong-based PCCW. Three years later, TPG and Hony Capital led another $700 million funding round in STX.”
Interestingly, when asked about the deal by TechCrunch, an NSO spokesperson said the following:
“This investment does not mean that the company is moving out of Israeli regulatory or operational control. (…) The company’s headquarters and core operations remain in Israel. It continues to be fully supervised and regulated by the relevant Israeli authorities, including the Ministry of Defense and the Israeli regulatory framework.”
He later requested that the comments be withdrawn, arguing they were made off the record, though TechCrunch stated that no such understanding had been established.
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