Hollywood producer to lead acquisition of Israeli spyware maker NSO

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.

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He later requested that the comments be withdrawn, arguing they were made off the record, though TechCrunch stated that no such understanding had been established.