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Alphabet's Google has agreed to acquire internal corporate data from the defunct Spirit Airlines for USD 10 million, intending to leverage the information for product development and artificial intelligence model training. The transaction encompasses a wide array of workplace communications and operational archives. As per a report by Reuters, the acquired records include employee emails, Microsoft Teams messages, spreadsheets, calendars, alongside marketing, productivity, and operational files. Prior to the sale's finalisation, the dataset is slated for thorough de-identification to ensure it contains no customer details or personally identifiable information. Relay.app Shutdown: Workflow Automation Platform Relay AI Announces Closure and Phased Transition. AI Model Training and Competitive Bidding The proposed purchase highlights the growing corporate appetite for real-world enterprise datasets to train advanced artificial intelligence systems. Google secured the deal by outbidding AI data firm Mercor, which had tabled a competing offer of USD 7.5 million for the archive. Spirit Airlines has been systematically liquidating its remaining assets through bankruptcy proceedings after halting all business operations in May due to crippling debt and soaring fuel costs. A United States bankruptcy judge is scheduled to evaluate and consider approving the data transaction during a court hearing on Wednesday. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 18, 2026 08:27 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).

Google has bought a vast trove of data from bankrupt US budget airline Spirit Airlines for $10 million to help train artificial intelligence (AI) systems, according to documents filed in the airline's bankruptcy proceedings. The package, acquired in an auction, includes about 100 million emails and 500 million conversations on Microsoft's Teams messaging platform, as well as software and pricing data. Google said all personally identifiable information would be removed by a third party before the data was handed over. The dataset could "be helpful in improving our products and AI models," Google said in a statement quoted by US media outlets including Axios on Monday. The purchase comes as AI companies increasingly seek to acquire internal corporate communications, including from failed start-ups, to train their systems. Such data could help AI models simulate real-world business processes. AI company Mercor was the losing bidder in the Spirit auction, offering $7.5 million, according to the bankruptcy documents. Spirit Airlines ceased operations in early May after filing for bankruptcy for the second time in less than a year in August 2025. The budget carrier had initially planned to emerge from bankruptcy with a reduced debt burden, but those plans were derailed by a sharp rise in jet fuel prices during the war with Iran.