# Wired reports race to buy workplace files and emails

- Published: 2026-11-06T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-06T22:10:10.783Z
- Section: Market
- Page: https://aidailyjournal.com/en/n/2026/11/06/wired-reports-race-to-buy-workplace-files-and-emails/
- Sources: [Wired](https://wired.com/story/ai-companies-really-really-want-to-buy-your-work-files-and-emails)

## Summary

Wired reports on a little-known expansion of the data-acquisition market for AI. Companies including Handshake, Micro1, and Mercor are seeking professional documents, emails, Slack messages, tickets, and call transcripts; Handshake confirmed to the magazine that it licenses professional documents so labs can test and train models, including graduate students’ work. One writer said she was offered $1,000 for a story but did not sell the material.

According to Wired, Mercor, founded in 2023, has become one of the industry’s leading companies. Its CEO, Brendan Foody, says labs need data that reflects real work rather than simulated tasks. He says Mercor removes personally identifiable information, a claim echoed by other people in the industry. Anthropic acknowledged to Wired that there is a large market for data but said it does not buy workflow from live companies such as WIRED; OpenAI did not respond before publication.

## Why it matters (editorial interpretation)

The purchase of professional documents and communications could expand the material used to test and train models, while putting privacy and ownership of that content at the center of the transaction. Claims about removing personal data remain attributed to the companies and people quoted by Wired.

_Summary written by AI Daily Journal in its own words, based on the sources above. For details, read the original articles._