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Defunct Startups Monetize Private Slack Chats and Emails, Selling Data to AI Firms for Up To $100,000

AI & TechnologyApr 19, 2026score 0.867 posts · 0 replies across 7 instances
Defunct companies are actively selling their former employees' internal communications, including Slack chats and emails, as training data to AI corporations. These winding-down entities charge significant sums, reportedly ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 per company, due to high market demand for realistic dataset material. Community commentary frames this practice as the commodification of private life. @bettycjung.bsky.social points out that 'Nothing online is sacred.' Furthermore, @[email protected] labels the sale of 'work banter' as a perfect example of 'Late-stage capitalism.' Privacy advocates, cited by @[email protected], stress that this data involves 'identifiable people,' making the privacy implications substantial. The overwhelming consensus is that the sale represents a significant privacy violation. The primary fault line is between the undeniable financial incentive driving data monetization and the profound infringement on personal, identifiable workplace history. Oversight from bodies like the FTC is being explicitly called for.

Key points

SUPPORT
Defunct companies are directly selling old Slack chats and internal emails as AI training data.
Multiple sources confirm the practice, with @[email protected] reporting CEO Shanna Johnson of Cielo24 sold 'every Slack message, internal email.'
SUPPORT
The monetization effort prices this private data highly.
AI companies specializing in winding down startups charge between $10,000 and $100,000 per company for the datasets, as noted by @[email protected].
OPPOSE
The data sold is not generic; it compromises individual privacy.
Marc Rotenberg, cited by @[email protected], argues, 'Employee privacy remains a key concern, particularly because... It’s not generic data. It’s identifiable people.'
SUPPORT
The practice is interpreted as a reflection of advanced capitalism.
@[email protected] argues that this sale proves that 'Your private work banter is the new liquid asset' under 'Late-stage capitalism.'
SUPPORT
Privacy advocates are pushing regulators to act against these data sales.
@[email protected] reports that advocates are urging the Federal Trade Commission to step up its oversight of AI-driven businesses.

Source posts

@[email protected]
This kind of BS needs to be addressed asap...potentially scary datasets just sitting around...whether digital or analogue... #data #privacy https://www.fastcompany.com/91528808/shuttered-startups-are-selling-old-slack-chats-and-emails-to-ai-companies
0 boosts · 1 favs · 0 replies · Apr 18, 2026
#privacy#data
@[email protected]
Failed Companies Are Selling Old Slack Chats and Email Archives to Train AI Defunct startups are pawning off their former employees conversations for up to $100,000, according to a new report. gizmodo.com/failed-compa... Nothing online is sacred. Everything's for sale. Failed Companies Are Selling O...
41 boosts · 1 favs · 2 replies · Apr 19, 2026
@[email protected]
Fast Company: Shuttered startups are selling old Slack chats and emails to AI companies. “According to a report by Forbes, defunct companies are selling their digital footprints to AI companies as training data—and making real money from it. Shanna Johnson, the CEO of now-defunct software company Cielo24, told the publication that she was able to sell every Slack message, internal email, and […] https://rbfirehose.com/2026/04/18/fast-company-shuttered-startups-are-selling-old-slack-chats-and-emails-to-ai-companies/
1 boosts · 0 favs · 0 replies · Apr 18, 2026
#trainingai#techindustry#slack#siliconvalley#security#privacy
@[email protected]
Failed startups are selling old Slack chats and email archives to train AI - companies that help wind down startups are monetising internal communications for 10,000-100,000 USD per company as demand for realistic training data grows. https://gizmodo.com/failed-companies-are-selling-old-slack-chats-and-email-archives-to-train-ai-2000747916 #AIagent #AI #GenAI #Data
0 boosts · 0 favs · 0 replies · Apr 17, 2026
#aiagent#ai#genai#data
@[email protected]
Late-stage capitalism: everything is for sale, including the remains of your failed startup. Shuttered companies are now pawning off old Slack chats and email archives as AI training data. Your private work banter is the new liquid asset. 😔 https://gizmodo.com/failed-companies-are-selling-old-slack-chats-and-email-archives-to-train-ai-2000747916 #AI
1 boosts · 0 favs · 0 replies · Apr 18, 2026
#ai
@[email protected]
📰 Shuttered Startups Are Selling Old Slack Chats, Emails To AI Companies Some failed startups are reportedly selling old Slack messages, emails, and other internal records to AI companies as training data, creating a new way to cash out after shutting down. Fast Company... 📰 Source: Slashdot 🔗 Link: https://yro.slashdot.org/story/26/04/18/014244/shuttered-startups-are-selling-old-slack-chats-emails-to-ai-companies?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #DataScience
2 boosts · 0 favs · 0 replies · Apr 18, 2026
#datascience#artificialintelligence#ai
@[email protected]
🤯 "Failed Companies Are Selling Old Slack Chats and Email Archives to Train AI Defunct startups are pawning off their former employees conversations for up to $100,000, according to a new report. .,.,.,.,.,.,. Still, some privacy advocates are raising concerns about what this means for workers whose data may be included in those datasets. “I think the privacy issues here are quite substantial,” Center for AI and Digital Policy Founder Marc Rotenberg told the outlet. “Employee privacy remains a key concern, particularly because people have become so dependent on these new internal messaging tools like Slack…It’s not generic data. It’s identifiable people.” The Center for AI and Digital Policy also recently sent a letter to the Senate Commerce Committee urging the Federal Trade Commission to step up its oversight of AI-driven businesses." https://gizmodo.com/failed-companies-are-selling-old-slack-chats-and-email-archives-to-train-ai-2000747916 #noai #AI
5 boosts · 0 favs · 0 replies · Apr 17, 2026
#ai#noai