4 min read · Updated
Can an operating company sell its Slack or email data?
Yes. You license a copy for agreed uses, keep the originals, and keep running the business.
The short answer
Yes. An operating company can license copies of its Slack messages and business email to AI companies, and Korra (korra.io) is a marketplace built for that: you describe the records, approved buyers make offers, and you approve every offer. You keep the original records and keep running the business. Most news stories so far are about startups that shut down, but nothing in a licence requires a company to close.
What you would license
A licence lets a buyer use an agreed copy of your records for agreed purposes, such as training or testing an AI system. You keep ownership of the originals.
You choose what goes in: which workspaces, channels, mailboxes and date ranges. You also choose what stays out, such as direct messages, HR, legal, health and pay.
Why AI companies want it
AI teams train and test agents on how real work gets done: a request, the steps the team took, and the result. Chat and email hold that sequence.
Buyers say so in public. micro1 says it buys and licenses operational data such as knowledge bases, CRM data and project histories, and uses it to build training environments for AI agents.
In April 2026 Forbes reported that shut-down startups were licensing their Slack messages, emails and Jira tickets to AI developers. The same kind of record exists in companies that are still trading.
What to check before you list
License only records your business owns. Files you hold for clients usually belong to the client.
Check employee privacy rules where your staff work, and what your employment terms and privacy notice say. Customer details inside threads need the same care.
Exporting your own workspace is one question. Licensing it is another. Check your software terms and keep a note of what you checked.
How it works on Korra
You describe your records in about 5 minutes. Nothing is uploaded and nothing is connected.
Korra turns the description into a listing card with names, emails, phone numbers and towns removed, and reads it before it is published. Approved buyers can see the card and make offers.
You see every offer and approve the one you want, or none. The licence is between you and the buyer. You pay Korra nothing; the buyer pays Korra’s fee.
Korra does not take, open, clean or deliver your records. You and the buyer agree what is shared, how and when.
Questions owners ask
Do I have to be shutting down to sell company data?
No. An operating company can license copies of its records and keep running. On Korra you list a description, approved buyers make offers, and you decide.
Do my employees have to agree?
It depends on the law where they work and on your employment terms. Many sellers leave out direct messages and HR channels. Get advice for your situation.
Will the data be anonymous?
No. Personal details are removed or replaced, but removing names does not make records anonymous. People can sometimes still be recognised from what the records say.
What does it cost to list on Korra?
Nothing. The buyer pays Korra’s fee. You pay nothing to list or to accept an offer.
Sources
See what your data could earn.
Describe your records to Korra and get a starting range. Your files stay in your systems.
What’s my data worth?