Updated October 2026
Who bought Spirit Airlines' data?
Successful bidder
Google: $10.0M cash, five datasets dropped
Google opened the auction at $5.0M and doubled it to win. After the ombudsman's first report it gave up the passenger name and transaction records, refunds, inflight purchases, timecards and WiFi sales without lowering its price. In the docket, Google argued that the ombudsman's remit covers sales of personally identifiable information, and that data stripped of personal details is not consumer data.1,4,5
We cover Google only because it bid in Spirit's case; we know of no program where it buys from other companies. Bloomberg Law's report on the auction set Google's $10M against Mercor's $7.5M bid.6
Alternate bidder
Mercor: the backup at $7.5M
Mercor bid $5.2M if Google's method for stripping personal details was used and $7.0M with its own tools, and later offered $10.0M on condition that it strip the data in-house. The debtors picked Google and kept Mercor's $7.5M as the alternate, which would step in if Google's deal fell through.7,8
Mercor buys company data directly from operating companies too. It says it charges no seller fees and wires payment 2-4 weeks after signing. The ombudsman said that if the court considered Mercor, she would want to look at the security incident Mercor disclosed earlier in 2026.9,10,11,12
Late bidder
micro1: $12.5M after the auction
micro1 filed a notice of intent on 2026-09-03 offering $12.5M cash from cash on hand, $2.5M above Google and $5M above Mercor. It proposed to strip personal details from the data itself at its own cost, give an independent reviewer a 1% sample and store the records in the U.S. The ombudsman said she would want to review that in-house plan.2,13,11
Like Mercor, micro1 buys from operating companies. It says it pays $100K-$2M+ for a company's data and asks for 30+ employees. Since 2026-10-09 it has also advertised to former owners of companies that are no longer operating. micro1 is one of the buyers we work with, and the match quiz shows whether a company like yours fits it or the others.14,15,16
| Fact | Value and source |
|---|---|
| Spirit data auction | Virtual auction of about two and a half hours on 2026-08-14, run by Davis Polk and PJT Partners. Google opened at $5.0M and won at $10.0M cash; Mercor is the alternate bidder at $7.5M |
| Mercor's bids at the Spirit auction | Mercor bid $5.2M (Google's form, third-party de-identification) or $7.0M (its own tools), then offered $10.0M conditioned on in-house de-identification. Google's $10.0M was chosen; Mercor's $7.5M stands as the alternate |
| micro1's notice of intent | micro1 filed a notice of intent on 2026-09-03 (Dkt. 1556): $12.5M cash from cash on hand, no financing contingency, $2.5M (25%) above Google's successful bid and $5M above Mercor's alternate bid |
| License price range | $100K-$2M+ per data package; over $1M for unique data |
| Time to payment | Wire 2-4 weeks after signing |
FAQ
Questions, answered with sources
Google, Alphabet's subsidiary, is the bidder in the filings. Its $10.0M bid won the auction; approval is pending.1
Every business is different, so this one is best talked through with the buyer you're working with. Their team goes over it with you before anything is signed.
Before you sign
Questions to talk through with your buyer
Every business is different, so these are best talked through with the buyer you're working with. Their team goes over them with you before anything is signed.
Questions for any buyer
- Is the license exclusive, and for how long?
- Can you sublicense the data, and to whom?
- Which AI labs will receive it, and will you tell us?
- How long do you keep it, and how is it deleted?
- What is your liability cap, and who indemnifies whom?
- Will the contract ban re-identification of people in the data?
- Who removes personal data, by what method, and do we approve it first?