# Dead startups become gold for AI training

> Failed companies' data is now a commodity. AI labs are buying codebase and workspace records from defunct startups, but the practice raises legal and ethical concerns.
- Title: Dead startups become gold for AI training | Shortify
- Summary: Failed companies' data is now a commodity. AI labs are buying codebase and workspace records from defunct startups, but the practice raises legal and ethical…
- Keywords: ai training, startups, data acquisition, machine learning, keelan miskell, cryptocurrency, technology, science, Dead, become, gold, training
- Source: MIT Technology Review — https://technologyreview.com/2026/10/28/1147767/the-download-dead-startups-fueling-ai-interspecies-communication
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: ai training, startups, data acquisition, machine learning, keelan miskell, cryptocurrency, technology, science
## Crypto founder turns shutdown into cash
When Keelan Miskell wound down his crypto startup, he discovered its data was valuable. He sold the company's codebase and workspace data for tens of thousands of dollars.
## A market for dead startup data
Companies that help shut down startups now sell their data to AI labs. This growing market emerged as training labs exhausted public and synthetic datasets.
## AI labs seek real-world records
Buyers want real-world records to train AI agents. The demand reflects how training labs have hit the limits of publicly available and artificially generated data.
## Legal and ethical questions loom
The sales of startup data raise legal and ethical concerns. The article does not specify what those concerns are, only that they exist.
## Animals have much to tell us
Humans are far from the only species with a gift for gab. Our furry, feathered, and finned friends could have a lot to tell us about their inner lives.
## Decoding animal communication
Decoding how animals communicate could reveal their inner lives and how they see the world. A growing arsenal of devices and AI advances have made studying their howls, squeaks, and clicks easier.
## Complexity remains in translation
Making sense of animal communication remains complex despite technological advances. The article notes progress but does not claim the problem is solved.
## Moon bases face hostile conditions
The US and China are racing to build lunar bases. NASA hopes to establish a small lunar city by the end of the century despite the moon's hostile environment.
## Survival on the moon demands innovation
A lunar base must protect inhabitants from asteroids, cosmic radiation, razor-sharp dust, and extreme temperature swings. It must also be somewhat self-sustaining.
## Technology and politics collide
Building a lunar base will require autonomous robots, nuclear power, and ways to use the moon's resources. But the chief obstacle may be one of political will.

> the chief obstacle may be one of political will
## Key takeaway

AI labs are purchasing data from defunct startups to train their models as public datasets run dry, creating a new market but raising legal and ethical questions.