Google to Buy Spirit Airlines Data for $10 Million

Alphabet's Google is acquiring internal business data from bankrupt Spirit Airlines for $10 million, a transaction that highlights how AI developers are turning to unconventional sources for training material. A U.S. bankruptcy judge will consider approving the sale at a hearing on Wednesday.

The data includes employee emails, Microsoft Teams messages, spreadsheets, calendars, and marketing and operations files, all of which will be de-identified before the sale closes. Google said it plans to use the information for product development and training AI models. No customer information or personally identifiable information is included.

Spirit shut down in May under high debt and fuel costs and has been selling assets in bankruptcy. Google's bid was not the only one. AI data company Mercor offered $7.5 million for the same data, according to court records. The competition between Google and a specialised AI data vendor suggests the market for proprietary business data is becoming more formal.

The sale raises questions about what happens to workplace communications when a company fails. Employee emails and Teams chats are often rich in operational knowledge, decision-making patterns, and internal workflow details that could help train models to understand how businesses actually run. For Google, the data could improve enterprise AI products that automate tasks and answer questions in corporate settings.

The deal also shows how bankruptcy proceedings have become a venue for AI companies to acquire data that would otherwise be difficult to obtain. If the court approves, Google will own a slice of Spirit's internal history, stripped of identifying details but still carrying the texture of how a real airline operated.