Google wins $10 million Spirit Airlines data auction for AI training

Tech Online Business & E-commerce Written by: Ephrem Joseph 07:54 Tue 18 Aug 2026 --> Disclaimer No investment advice About this content Editorial Standards & Policies Share article About this content × About Ephrem Joseph Ephrem began his journalistic journey at Proactive in June 2021. With a strong academic background in Information Technology, his expertise particularly lies in the field of Cyber Security, Management Information Systems and Computer Forensics. Before joining Proactive, Ephrem worked as a researcher and lecturer at a number of leading universities, including the University of Portsmouth's Institute of Criminal Justice Studies, the University of Winchester’s Institute of Policing, and Jain... Read more About the publisher Proactive financial news and online broadcast teams provide fast, accessible, informative and actionable business and finance news content to a global investment audience. All our content is produced independently by our experienced and qualified teams of news journalists. Proactive news team spans the world’s key finance and investing hubs with bureaus and studios in London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney and Perth. We are experts in medium and small-cap markets, we also keep our community up to date with blue-chip companies, commodities and broader investment stories. This is content that excites and engages motivated private investors. The team delivers news and unique insights across the market including but not confined to: biotech and pharma, mining and natural resources, battery metals, oil and gas, crypto and emerging digital and EV technologies. Use of technology Proactive has always been a forward looking and enthusiastic technology adopter. Our human content creators are equipped with many decades of valuable expertise and experience. The team also has access to and use technologies to assist and enhance workflows. Proactive will on occasion use automation and software tools, including generative AI. Nevertheless, all content published by Proactive is edited and authored by humans, in line with best practice in regard to content production and search engine optimisation. Alphabet Inc ( NASDAQ:GOOG ) View Price & Profile Google wins $10 million Spirit Airlines data auction for AI training Published: 07:54 18 Aug 2026 BST Google has won a bankruptcy auction for a large collection of Spirit Airlines’ internal business data and software, agreeing to pay $10 million for assets it plans to use in product development and artificial intelligence training. The transaction remains subject to approval by a US bankruptcy judge. The data includes employee emails, Microsoft Teams messages, spreadsheets, calendars and information covering areas such as marketing, productivity and airline operations. Court filings indicate the package contains around 100 million emails and 500 million Teams messages. Google said the information could help improve its products and AI models, reflecting growing demand among technology companies for large datasets drawn from real-world business operations. Google confirmed that it is not purchasing customer data and credit card information. The data is required to be de-identified before it is transferred to Google, removing personally identifiable information. Passenger profiles and loyalty program information are also excluded from the acquisition. Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) secured the assets after competing with AI data company Mercor, which submitted a $7.5 million bid. Google’s successful offer followed an initial bid of $5 million, according to reports on the bankruptcy auction. Spirit Airlines’ digital assets are being sold as part of bankruptcy proceedings following the US low-cost carrier’s shutdown earlier in 2026. Attorneys overseeing the process have continued disposing of the airline’s remaining assets. A hearing on approval of the Google transaction is scheduled for August 19 in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. Continue reading