Show clear title to the records, because buyers have been offered stolen archives
Surge AI's head of environments told Business Insider (13 Oct 2026) that a group offered him a large company's codebase for millions of dollars, which turned out to be an illicit copy shopped to every data vendor; Mercor faces a lawsuit alleging it encouraged contractors to upload employers' work materials without consent, which it denies.
Dated 13 Oct 2026Source checked 15 Oct 2026Quote found on its page again 17 Oct 2026Basis: indicative
In the source's own words
“"It became apparent that this group did not have the rights to sell this data," Heiner told Business Insider. "They had illicitly obtained a copy of the codebase and were just going around to all the data vendors saying, 'Can I get a few million bucks for this?'"”
Where it was read
Also read from the same source
- Offers to small operating businesses for their internal records (email, Slack, documents), from unnamed AI-data buyers and brokers
- Refuse a 48-hour deadline and collect several quotes, because buyers price on different theses
- Keep the communications systems in the package, offer exclusivity, and lead with white-collar headcount
Figures it counts in
It is shown on its own, not counted into a figure.
Cited in these 3 guides