Answers
Straight answers to real questions.
The questions come from what people type into search boxes. Each answer stays short, and every claim gets checked against a primary source before it ships.
By industry
License architecture firm data to AI: who owns drawings
Before an architecture firm licenses its data to AI, it checks two things. AIA's B101 form deems the architect the owner of its drawings and gives the client a license for one project.
License construction company data to AI: the records
Polyshares lists a $300,000 perpetual exclusive license to an unnamed general contractor's operational record, undated and self-reported. Before you license yours, sort records by who holds the rights.
License manufacturing company data to AI: defense work
License manufacturing data to AI only after checking for defense work. Some defense contract files carry strict security rules.
License call center data to AI: whose calls are they?
Before licensing call center data to AI, ask whose calls they are and who consented. Client contracts usually decide what you can license.
License nonprofit data to AI: what the tax code says
No company we read lists nonprofits. Tax code section 513(h) covers exchanging or renting donor names to another qualifying organization only, so a deal with a company is outside that text.
License law firm data to AI: questions for counsel
Much of a law firm's archive is client information. Summaries of ABA Formal Opinion 512 say it requires informed client consent before client information goes into AI.
Comparisons and choosing a company
Which tools does each AI data company accept?
Four of the seven company-data programs we track name tools on their own pages. Troveo names 34, including Gmail, Outlook, Zendesk and Shopify.
Do you qualify? Every program's stated size and history minimum
Stated floors differ. Handshake AI asks for 20+ full-time staff and 3+ years.
Mercor vs SimpleClosure for a closing startup's data
For a closing startup, Mercor has made direct offers for archives, reported at up to $300,000 on 17 Aug 2026. SimpleClosure lists them on its AssetHub and told Forbes it did nearly 100 deals at $10,000 to $100,000 per company.
micro1 vs Mercor: how each pays companies for data
micro1 vs Mercor: micro1 publishes tiers ($100K+, $500K+, $1M+), but Mercor's data page shows no figure. Press reports put Mercor's offers at up to $300,000 for startup archives.
Troveo vs Datarade: AI licensing or a data marketplace
Troveo is a licensing marketplace that matches buyers and pays a revenue share on every sale. Datarade is a general data marketplace where providers list products and buyers request samples.
micro1 vs Troveo: data partnership or marketplace
micro1 vs Troveo: micro1 pays companies under data partnerships with stated tiers ($100K+, $500K+, $1M+), while Troveo is a marketplace paying a share of the revenue on every deal. In both, you keep ownership of the data.
Rights, consent and law
Assignment for the benefit of creditors and your company data
An assignment for the benefit of creditors (ABC) is a state-law wind-down: the company hands all its assets, data included, to an independent assignee who turns them into money for creditors. No consumer privacy ombudsman is appointed.
Can the FTC make a buyer delete a model trained on your data?
Not on your behalf. The FTC has ordered companies to delete models built from data the FTC said they collected or used unlawfully, like Everalbum, also known as Paravision, in 2021.
Spirit Airlines data union objection: what it asked
The Spirit Airlines data union objection (Doc 1489, filed 18 Aug 2026) asks the court to exclude flight attendant data from Google's $10M winning bid or add protections like a ban on profiling attendants. The ombudsman recommended approval on 5 Oct 2026 but did not investigate employee risks.
What is a consumer privacy ombudsman?
A consumer privacy ombudsman is a person appointed under 11 U.S.C. 332 when a bankruptcy debtor proposes to sell consumer personal information against its privacy policy.
Who owns company emails?
Who owns company emails depends on which of three questions you mean. Who controls the mailbox is a contract and employment question.
Do customer contracts allow licensing data?
The contract decides. Scan five clause types: confidentiality, processor terms, service-generated data ownership, AI-training clauses and deletion duties.
Shutdown and startup data
What happens if I close my business and walk away?
If you want to close your business and walk away, file the dissolution first. An abandoned company keeps owing state fees and taxes until the state dissolves it, and unpaid payroll tax can follow you personally under IRC 6672.
Should you license company data before you sell the business?
Only with your acquirer in the loop. A data license is a contract the acquirer inherits or has to unwind, so it shows up in the LOI, in diligence and in your reps and warranties.
What to do with company records when you close
When you close a company, keep what federal rules require: employment tax records 4 years, FLSA payroll records 3, hiring records 1, OSHA logs 5, and I-9s 3 years from hire or 1 after the job ends. Past those, delete, or license first if your contracts allow it.
AI labs buying startup archives: who, why, how much
AI labs buy startup archives to train agents on real workplace records. SimpleClosure processed nearly 100 deals in a year at $10,000 to $100,000 per company, and Mercor made offers up to $300,000.
Startup wind down service: SimpleClosure, Sunset
A startup wind down service handles legal filings, payroll tax closures and stakeholder coordination. SimpleClosure runs these and added an Asset Hub on 16 Apr 2026 to sell source code and workspace data.
License data in acquisition: AI buyers and diligence
List the data among the business assets. California's merger exception covers transfers where the buyer takes control of the business.
Tax and accounting
Final tax return when closing a business: what to file and when
Your final tax return when closing a business depends on the entity: Form 1065, 1120 or 1120-S, with the final return box checked. Corporations add Form 966 within 30 days.
Is data licensing income taxable? What IRS texts say
In general, yes. 26 U.S.C.
Data as an intangible asset accounting: the texts
IAS 38 does not recognize self-made customer lists as intangible assets. Treasury Regulation 1.197-2 names customer information bases as intangibles but excludes those created by the taxpayer from amortization.
1099 data licensing: which IRS form applies
For 1099 data licensing, the IRS splits royalty payments at $10 or more into Form 1099-MISC box 2. Other payments go to 1099-NEC box 1a (services, $2,000+) or 1099-MISC box 3 (other income, $2,000+).
How to record data licensing revenue: ASC 606 text
Under ASC 606, a sales-based royalty on an IP license is recorded when the sale or usage happens or the performance obligation is satisfied, whichever is later. No source we found settles whether a data corpus is IP or a one-time sale is a license.
micro1 data program
micro1 alternatives: other companies running data programs
Handshake AI, Mercor, Troveo, Replay, Polyshares and SimpleClosure also run programs for company records. They differ on minimum size, how and when they pay, and what you keep.
micro1 PII transformation: what its page and forum talk say
micro1's data partnerships page says personal information "is removed when relevant." micro1's David Revland said in an undated talk that each name gets one stand-in across tools. Ask which your contract means.
micro1 Spirit Airlines: the $12.5M offer explained
micro1 Spirit Airlines offer was $12.5 million to Google's $10 million in a bankruptcy auction. micro1 filed to bid in September 2026, but no deal is approved.
Can I scrub data before licensing it? Who cleans it
No. micro1 staff said in an undated recorded forum talk that companies cannot pre-scrub because it would break the cross-tool trail.
What is micro1?
micro1 is an AI data company that calls itself a data lab. It supplies data and expert work to train AI models.
micro1 data partnership Canada: who can apply?
Canadian companies can apply. micro1 said in an undated recorded forum talk that it prefers US and Canadian companies and is open to others.
Buyer and marketplace brands
Replay review: pay bands, terms, what to check
Replay (replay.ai) licenses de-identified company operating data to AI labs. Besides SimpleClosure, it is the only program we track that publishes a small-company band: $10K to $100K for 20 to 50 employees, self-reported.
Handshake AI data partnerships: what they state
Handshake AI data partnerships license company data that Handshake says it de-identifies and delivers to AI labs. It states $100K to $4M+ and asks for 20+ full-time staff and 3+ years.
Troveo business data: how the program works
Troveo business data lets companies export records in four steps: get an estimate, agree terms, have Troveo package the data and, it says, anonymize it, then share revenue on each deal. Troveo says full-company deals start at six figures.
Is SimpleClosure legit? What the public record shows
SimpleClosure looks real. It has a named CEO, Dori Yona, more than $20M raised and published terms.
Mercor alternatives for licensing company data
Mercor runs a data arm that licenses company records to AI labs. Alternatives that take the same records are micro1 and Handshake AI, which post payment ranges, Troveo and Replay, which share revenue, Polyshares, which pays per license, and SimpleClosure for startups that are closing.
BuyMyDeadStartup: how the listing site works
BuyMyDeadStartup is a listing board where closed-startup founders describe code, Slack and email. It's free for sellers, takes no commission, and charges buyers $1,500 a month for access.
Deals and contracts
Can you insure an AI data licensing deal?
Not off the shelf, as far as I can find: no published policy, named insurer or limits. If anyone calls a deal insured, ask for the policy: the insurer, who is insured, the limits, the exclusions and proof it's bound.
Training license vs RAG license: what changes for you?
A training buyer's model usually keeps what it learned from your records, which Troveo says almost every buyer insists on. Retrieval platforms such as Sphere charge per use while access lasts.
Who is liable if the data buyer is hacked?
No public source says who is liable if a data buyer is hacked in a company-data deal. SimpleClosure's terms have the owner indemnify the buyer.
What is an acceptance period in a data deal?
An acceptance period is the window when a buyer checks delivered data before accepting it. A failed check can end the deal or change the price.
Can I restrict who my data is sublicensed to?
Yes, you can ask for a limit on who gets your data next. Some marketplace terms, such as SimpleClosure's, grant a sublicensable, perpetual license by default.
Company data to AI: license or sale?
It depends on the contract. Troveo says ownership never transfers.
Readiness, process and what labs want
How does an AI lab's data team judge a data offer?
OpenAI's data acquisition job post (5 Jun 2026) says the role balances research value, feasibility, quality and responsible execution. Its partnership page wants large datasets that aren't already easy to find online.
Does industry matter for licensing company data?
Partly. micro1 staff said any industry can join, yet micro1's data partnerships page lists six areas.
What do AI labs do with company data? Sourced uses
AI labs use company data to train and test AI agents. Google told Time the Spirit Airlines data "can be helpful in improving our products and AI models." Time linked the bid to RL environments.
Why AI labs want real company data
Labs want real company data because it shows how a real problem got solved, per micro1's CFO. Synthetic environments built by experts imitate the world.
Can non-US companies license data to AI labs?
Maybe. Mercor and Troveo state no geographic limit, and Handshake AI's form lists Europe.
How to check Slack workspace size
Slack analytics give message and file counts, not gigabytes. The dashboard shows messages sent and files uploaded across channels and DMs.
What is company data worth
What do publishers earn from AI licensing?
Wiley, the journal and textbook publisher, reported $49.1 million of AI license revenue for its year to 30 April 2026, about 3% of its revenue. Reddit disclosed $203 million of data licensing contracts running two to three years.
Company data worth per employee: two ways to count
Few public figures work per head. Handshake AI's calculator shows about $3,830 to $8,970 per head at 100 staff, a self-reported estimate and not an offer.
What is the Spirit Airlines data sale?
The Spirit Airlines data sale is a bankruptcy auction Google won with a $10 million bid for about 100 million emails, 500 million Teams messages and 30 million lines of code. It still needs court approval.
How much do AI labs pay for company data?
No public rate card exists. SimpleClosure reported nearly 100 deals at $10K to $100K per startup.
Data valuation for AI: what buyer calculators use
No standard method exists. Calculators count headcount and years.
AI data licensing deals: a dated roundup
Public AI data licensing deals fall into two groups. Company-data deals are few and recent.
Privacy and PII transformation
Re identification risk emails carry with pseudonyms
Emails carry re-identification risk because consistent pseudonyms keep one person's messages linked across your archive. Troveo shows labels like PERSON-014.
Selling customer data in bankruptcy: the rules
Selling customer data in bankruptcy is allowed under 11 U.S.C. 363(b)(1) if the sale fits the debtor's privacy policy or a court-appointed consumer privacy ombudsman reviews it.
How fast should a buyer de-identify your data?
A de-identification timeline says how many days a buyer has to take names out of your data. Ryan Lock of Polyshares suggests asking for about 14 days and a deletion certificate.
Anonymize Slack export: who does it in a data deal
micro1, Troveo and Mercor each say they anonymize the Slack export themselves, not you. A Slack export holds names in the user list and message text, so masking one leaves the other exposed.
Remove secrets from code before licensing: the limits
Remove secrets from code before licensing by scanning, but one scan is not enough. The best scanner reached 75% precision and 88% recall, and faulty patterns missed secrets.
What counts as PII in company data?
What counts as PII in company data depends on which law applies. NIST covers information linked to a person, GDPR covers identifiable persons, and CCPA covers information tied to a consumer or household.
By tool and data type
License Microsoft Teams data to AI: exports and limits
You export Microsoft Teams chats and channel messages through export APIs. The largest example is Spirit Airlines, which held 500 million Teams messages.
Can you license company emails to AI?
Yes, if counsel confirms you hold the rights. Troveo lists whole email threads.
License internal documents to AI: what to check first
To license internal documents to AI, sort them by who owns them first. micro1's partnership page lists SOPs and knowledge bases.
License GitLab repos to AI: what we could verify
License GitLab repos to AI? Troveo lists GitLab. Use Usage quotas to check storage.
License sales call recordings to AI: what to check
Consent from each person on the call is the first question, and counsel answers it. Few buyer pages name recordings, and none I read publish a price.
License Zendesk tickets to AI: export, terms, limits
To license Zendesk tickets to AI, the account owner must ask Zendesk to turn on exports, which are off by default. You keep ownership but must hold customer and agent consents.
Glossary
What is referential integrity in data?
Referential integrity is the rule that every link between records points at a real record. In AI data deals, Spirit Airlines kept links while de-identifying, and the union said links raise re-identification risk.
What is a forward deployed engineer?
A forward deployed engineer (FDE) works directly with a customer to understand problems and build solutions using that customer's data. Palantir says the role owns end-to-end execution.
What is data provenance?
Data provenance is the record of where data came from, how it was made and who handled it. The W3C defines it as information about the entities, activities and people involved.
What is human data?
Human data is data people produce on request to train and test AI models, like expert answers, grading and rankings. AI labs buy it from vendors that recruit contractors.
What is workflow data?
Workflow data is the record of how work moved across tools, from request to deliverable. micro1's CFO used a marketing budget request as the example, and David Revland of micro1 used a Slack request with the report in Google Sheets.
What are expertise traces? An unsettled term, defined
Expertise traces is a marketing label for records of how professionals work: the steps taken, judgment calls made and checks run. No standard definition exists.
Licensing company data
Who bid on Spirit Airlines' data, and who else takes it?
Time and the court's privacy ombudsman name the bidders: Google, which won the auction for Spirit Airlines' archive with a $10M bid, and Mercor, which bid $7.5M. micro1 later offered $12.5M for the same archive.
Can you license data to AI labs? What they want
Yes, through vendors or marketplaces, since most labs don't publish direct intake. micro1's CFO says labs want workflows: the chain from request through tools to deliverable.
What is data licensing and how does it pay?
Data licensing lets a buyer use your data on stated terms, usually for a fee. The contract decides who owns what and whether it pays once, per use or on a schedule.
Data licensing pros and cons for company data
Upside: revenue from stored records. micro1's Enterprise Data Partnership listing says $100K-$2M+ for approved data packages, its own claim.
What are data partnerships in AI data licensing?
Data partnerships let an AI company use a group's data. Company programs pay businesses for their records.
How long does it take to license company data?
Stated clocks run from about 2 weeks to 60 days, and none is a full clock. Mercor says payment comes 2 to 4 weeks after signing.
Getting help with a data license
Company data valuation service: what is on offer
Three kinds exist. Calculators turn headcount and years into a range.
Data licensing audit: what it covers and who runs it
An audit reviews records before an AI license. No industry standard exists.
What does a data licensing advisor do?
A data licensing advisor helps prepare, price and negotiate a license to an AI buyer. Titles overlap with finder.
Help licensing company data to AI: who does which step
Help comes from the program's own team, an advisor, a lawyer or a readiness service. Our fit check, discovery call, tools, guides and introductions are free.
AI data licensing services: which type fits you?
AI data licensing services come in five types. Direct programs like micro1 and Mercor pay companies under their own agreements.
Privacy law mechanics
Vermont data broker law: definition and penalties
The Vermont data broker law (9 V.S.A. 2430 and 2446) defines a broker as a business that sells personal information of people it has no direct relationship with.
Do I need to register as a data broker to license my data?
On plain text, Vermont and Oregon treat staff and customers as direct relationships, so you may not be a broker. Texas and California leave more room for mixed archives.
Are data brokers legal? A state-by-state map
Yes, data brokers are legal. Six states now regulate them.
Can I license EU employee data to AI?
The GDPR sets four checks: lawful basis, compatible purpose, notice of the new purpose, and national employee rules under Article 88. The EDPB says trained models cannot be considered anonymous in all cases.
Is licensing data to an AI lab a sale under CCPA?
Under Civil Code 1798.140(ad)(1), a transfer of personal information for monetary or other valuable consideration is a sale. Two exits exist: a third party that assumes control of the business, or data that meets the deidentified definition.
Texas data broker law: who must register
The Texas data broker law is Chapter 509, amended by SB 2121, effective 1 September 2025. It covers businesses handling personal data they did not collect directly, if that is over 50% of revenue or 50,000+ people.
Process and security
Does Slack allow AI companies to use exported data?
Slack's API terms bar app developers from training language models on API data or bulk exporting messages without agreement. Those limits cover apps.
What is a data manifest form?
A data manifest form in micro1's program is the intake step listing your tools and rough data sizes. It asks which tools you use, like Google Workspace, Slack and GitHub.
Do I need SOC 2 to license data to AI?
No statute or buyer term requires it. SimpleClosure's terms and Troveo's guide ask for promises about your rights, consents and lawful collection.
Is it safe to license company data to AI?
The published evidence says the risk is real. Many buyers handle raw data before de-identification.
Brokers, finders and their fees
Data broker commission: what it costs your company
It depends who pays the broker. A marketplace or success-fee adviser takes a cut of your proceeds.
Can a lawyer or accountant take a referral fee?
It depends. No rule names a fee from a data buyer.
What should a data broker do for you?
A data broker should do more than pass your name to a buyer. Ryan Lock of Polyshares says a useful broker builds a records inventory, sets a price that holds up and explains the terms.
