The race for proprietary training data
Reuters has documented an intensifying race among major AI developers to license proprietary data directly from companies that hold large private archives.
What reporters have found
Reuters and other outlets have documented what they describe as a race among large AI developers to buy proprietary data — content and records that are not on the open web — directly from the companies that hold it (Reuters technology coverage).
Why proprietary data wins
- It is not scraped. Rights and provenance are clear.
- It is differentiated. Competitors cannot copy it from the public internet.
- It reflects real work. Operational records show how tasks actually get done.
What this means for partners
The companies being approached are ordinary businesses with deep archives — exactly the profile SourceX works with: 50+ full-time employees at peak, years of accumulated operational data. Introduce one to SourceX; if a deal closes and SourceX collects its fee, you can earn 25% of that fee, up to $100,000 per company.
- Step 1Share your linkSend your personal link to a company you know.
- Step 2Company appliesThe company applies itself at /apply.
- Step 3Buyer selects and paysThe buyer selects and pays for the data and SourceX receives its fee.
- Step 4You get your rewardYour share of SourceX fees becomes payable.
Free resources
- SDE vs EBITDA calculator — Seller's discretionary earnings next to market-rate EBITDA.
- IRR calculator — Internal rate of return on annual cash flows.
- Business valuation calculator — Enterprise and equity value from EBITDA, your multiple, cash and debt.
- All free tools · MCP resource center
By SourceX Partnerships Team · Published 2026-10-09 · Updated 2026-10-08
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