Kayyem also previously served a senior advisor to the NSO Group, the Israeli tech firm known for the Pegasus spyware tool.

[7] From 1999 to 2000, Kayyem served as House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt's appointee to the National Commission on Terrorism, a congressionally mandated review of how the government could better prepare for the growing terrorist threat.

Chaired by L. Paul Bremer, that commission's recommendations in the year 2000 urged the nation to recognize and adapt to the growing tide of terrorist activity against the United States.

[14] At the state party convention on June 14, 2014, Kayyem failed to receive the 15% of delegate votes required to make the primary ballot.

The company has been reported to provide spying software that has been used in targeted attacks against human rights activists and journalists in various countries, and played a role in the murder of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi.

[17][18][19] In October 2017, Kayyem became the chief executive officer of Massachusetts-based Zemcar, an on-demand and scheduled ridesharing company focused on children and seniors.

As of March 2019, Kayyem has been chief executive officer of Grip Mobility, a technology company focused on providing transparency in the rideshare industry.

[citation needed] She was a finalist for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary "for her colorful, well reported columns on an array of issues, from women in combat to oil drilling in Alaska."

The director of Citizen Lab, a laboratory that studies human rights abuses and technology told Forbes at the time: "It is a sad day for human rights, a deeply disturbing irony in the wake of Khashoggi’s execution, and a public relations victory for NSO Group, to have the Washington Post hire someone sitting on their advisory board.