Spirit Airlines sells internal data for AI training; Google, Micro1 bid up to $12.5M

Published Aug 21, 07:17 PM UTC

Spirit Airlines, which ceased operations in May 2026 due to bankruptcy, is selling its internal corporate data—including emails, wikis, source code, and spreadsheets—for AI training. Google won an initial $10 million bid for the dataset, but AI training provider Micro1 has since submitted a $12.5 million rival offer. The data excludes customer lists and will be anonymized by a third party, but Spirit's flight attendant union has objected, citing privacy concerns for employees. The sale reflects a broader trend of AI companies acquiring operational data from bankrupt or active businesses to train models for realistic office work. Other bidders included Mercor, which offered $7.5 million. Privacy advocates warn that anonymization may not fully protect sensitive information.