Google's Spirit Airlines Data Purchase Challenged by Startup and Vendor
Google's $10 million purchase of Spirit Airlines' bankruptcy data has been challenged by startup Springshot, which claims ownership of significant portions of the dataset.
The company, founded in 2011 by Doug Kreuzkamp, powered Spirit's technology stack for three years and retained ownership of its software, services, and generated data under a 2022 agreement.
Kreuzkamp warned that allowing the sale to proceed without a forensic review could set a precedent where startups lose large volumes of intellectual property to deep-pocketed companies through bankruptcy proceedings.
A second vendor, International Aero Engines LLC, has also joined the objection, citing similar concerns about proprietary commercial, technical, and financial information in the dataset.