Chewing gum heir and Hollywood producer eye spyware firm takeover.

Hollywood producer Robert Simonds and William Wrigley, heir to the Wrigley chewing gum fortune, are reportedly exploring a possible bid to acquire assets owned by NSO Group, the Israeli company behind the Pegasus spyware. NSO has faced intense scrutiny in the US and was placed on a blacklist by the Biden administration in 2021. Simonds is said to be considering buying out remaining debt holders and other creditors and stripping assets like Pegasus out of NSO and transferring it into a new company. However, there are several hurdles facing any potential deal, including possible resistance by Israeli authorities to any sale of the regulated entity’s assets.