Mercor and other companies that collect data for AI labs are helping create demand for internal datasets held by startups that are shutting down or being acquired, according to a Techmeme summary of reporting by Alix Coutures at The Information. The reported activity concerns demand to buy or license those datasets. The summary does not specify the types of datasets, the prices being discussed, or which AI labs are the end customers. The item also mentions Warmly, described as an AI agent startup, and says the underlying report discusses an agreement in late June. But the feed text is truncated before it states what Warmly agreed to do, so that detail should not be treated as confirmed from the provided material. The narrow takeaway is that internal datasets from startups shutting down or being acquired may be drawing buyer interest from firms gathering data for AI labs. For now, the story is single-source and thin on transaction terms, so it should be read as an early signal rather than a fully mapped market. Who benefits: Data intermediaries such as Mercor may benefit if AI labs continue seeking harder-to-source datasets. Startups in transition could gain another way to extract value from assets beyond code, customers or talent. Who's exposed: Founders, boards and acquirers are exposed if data ownership, licensing rights or customer permissions are unclear. The provided reporting does not detail legal disputes or regulatory issues, so those risks remain general rather than case-specific here.