IonQ to Acquire Cybersecurity Company Elisity in Up-To $1.3 Billion Deal

Paul, Weiss is advising quantum computing company IonQ on its acquisition of cybersecurity company Elisity in an all-stock transaction valued at up to $1.3 billion. Elisity focuses on “zero trust” security, a cybersecurity framework that requires continuous authentication and authorization of users and devices for every access request.

With the addition of Elisity’s enterprise zero trust technology platform, IonQ will benefit from an expanded cybersecurity platform that both uncovers and protects against present LLM and emerging quantum threats. The transaction, announced on October 12, is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions.

The Paul, Weiss team is led by corporate partners Chelsea Darnell and Robert Kindler, and associate Adam Wolfe, and includes partner Tony Rim and counsel Ashley Yoon; executive compensation partner Jean McLoughlin; intellectual property partner Claudine Meredith-Goujon and counsel Matthew Rosenberg; antitrust partners Scott Sher, Yuni Sobel and Lauren O’Brien; litigation partner Daniel Gerkin and counsel Audrey Paquet; and tax partner Brian Krause.