In a significant development within the cybersecurity and surveillance industry, NSO Group, a prominent Israeli spyware manufacturer, has confirmed its acquisition by a U.S. investment group. This news was disclosed by NSO spokesperson Oded Hershowitz to TechCrunch on Friday, stating that the American investment group has invested tens of millions of dollars, thereby acquiring controlling ownership of the company.
The confirmation of this acquisition follows a report by the Israeli tech news outlet Calcalist, which indicated that a group led by Hollywood producer Robert Simonds reached an agreement to purchase the surveillance technology firm in a deal valued at tens of millions of dollars. While Hershowitz did not disclose the exact amount of the investment or the identities of the investors, he emphasized that “this investment does not mean that the company is moving out of Israeli regulatory or operational control.”
Hershowitz reassured that the company’s headquarters and core operations will remain in Israel. He added that NSO Group continues to be fully supervised and regulated by relevant Israeli authorities, including the Ministry of Defense and the Israeli regulatory framework. Notably, after making these statements, Hershowitz designated his comments as “off the record,” which requires mutual agreement on confidentiality—a stipulation not adhered to in this instance, allowing TechCrunch to publish the responses.
Earlier in 2023, The Guardian reported that Simonds and an associate were contemplating a bid for NSO Group through their investment firm, although that attempt did not result in a deal. According to Calcalist, as part of the new agreement with Simonds, NSO’s co-founder and executive chairman, Omri Lavie, will step down from his role. As of now, Lavie has not commented on this development, nor have Simonds or his Hollywood company, STX Entertainment.
The acquisition of NSO Group comes against a backdrop of significant controversy and scrutiny. The company has faced intense criticism from digital rights advocates, including researchers at the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab, Amnesty International, and various other organizations. These groups have recorded numerous instances where NSO’s government clients have targeted and hacked journalists, dissidents, and human rights defenders in countries such as Hungary, India, Mexico, Morocco, Poland, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
NSO Group has long maintained that its spyware is designed to avoid targeting U.S. phone numbers, likely to protect its prospects of entering the U.S. market. However, in 2021, the company was implicated in the targeting of approximately a dozen U.S. government officials abroad. This incident led to the U.S. Commerce Department banning American companies from engaging in trade with NSO by placing the company on the U.S. Entities List.
Since being placed on the blocklist, NSO Group has made attempts to remove itself from the U.S. government’s sanctions, engaging a lobbying firm associated with the Trump administration as recently as May 2025. John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at Citizen Lab, expressed significant concern regarding the acquisition. He remarked, “NSO is a company with a long history of going against American interests and supporting the hacking of American officials. In what world can such a person be trusted to properly oversee a company like NSO Group?” referring to Simonds. Scott-Railton further stated, “My real concern is that NSO has strenuously tried to enter the United States and sell their product to American police forces in U.S. cities. This dictator tech does not belong anywhere near Americans, or our constitutionally protected rights or freedoms.”
As NSO Group transitions into new ownership, its controversial past and ongoing implications for privacy and human rights remain at the forefront of public discourse.
