Data licensing guide
By industry

Selling your code to AI companies: what software companies can license

By Ade Molajo · Updated · How we check figures

Quick answer

Yes: private codebases, with their commit history, reviews and tickets, are among the records AI labs want most. Mercor lists software companies at $50K–$500K from 15 staff, and micro1 names code among the data it licenses, from 30+ staff. Before you license, check three things: open-source licences in the repo, secrets and credentials in the history, and any code you wrote for clients who own it.

$50K–$500K
Mercor's published range for software companies
15+
Mercor's minimum staff; micro1 and Mode want 30+
History
commits, reviews and tickets add value
3 checks
open source, secrets, client code

01What the programmes publish for software companies

Published ranges that apply to software companies: micro1 tiers from $100K to $2M and up; Mode $100K to $5M; Mercor’s Software Company listing $50K to $500K.$0$1M$2M$3M$4M$5Mmicro1$100K–500K · $500K–2M · $2M+micro1.ai/data-partnerships · 30 Oct 2026Mode$100K–$5M per companydata.mode.inc · 30 Oct 2026Mercor: Software Company$50K–$500Kdata.mercor.com/refer · 30 Oct 2026
Each programme’s own published range, checked 30 October 2026. Ranges, not offers.
micro1ModeMercor
RangeTiers $100K–500K to $2M+$100K–$5M$50K–$500K (software listing)
Minimum size30+ full-time staff30+15–500
LocationUS first; strong UK demandUS strongest; others case by caseAnywhere
What it wantsCode, project histories, internal processesJira, Confluence, Slack and other systems"The private code the engineering team has built, and the history behind it"

Each programme's own pages, checked 30–31 October 2026. Ranges, not offers.

Where these records usually live

Code

  • GitHub
  • GitLab
  • Bitbucket

Tickets and planning

  • Jira
  • Linear

Docs and chat

  • Confluence
  • Notion
  • Slack

Examples of common tools, to help you find your records. Product names and logos belong to their owners; no affiliation or endorsement.

Mercor also lists SaaS and subscription companies (product databases, warehouse and analytics code; 50–1,000 staff with a data team), AI product companies (real usage data; from 5 staff) and cybersecurity companies, each with its own range. See Mercor's ranges by business type.

02Why the history matters

A codebase on its own is useful. The history around it is what's rare: commits with messages, code reviews, the tickets that drove each change, and the incidents that led to fixes. That record shows how a team actually reasons about software. Bring the Jira and ticketing data along with the repo.

03Three checks before you license code

  • Open-source licences. Your repo almost certainly includes third-party open-source code. Some licences carry conditions on redistribution, so list them and ask the programme how it treats vendored code.
  • Secrets and credentials. API keys, passwords and tokens hide in old commits. Scan the full history and rotate anything you find before any transfer.
  • Client-owned code. If you build software for clients, their contracts may give them the code. Leave it out unless they agree.

Customer data in test fixtures, logs and database dumps needs the same care as any personal data. See UK GDPR.

Software companies: usually licensable (Repos you own, with commit history; Code reviews and design docs; Tickets linked to commits; Post-mortems and runbooks) versus check first or leave out (Code your clients own; Secrets in history (scan and rotate); Customer data in fixtures and dumps; Third-party code you can’t vouch for).Usually licensableRepos you own, with commit historyCode reviews and design docsTickets linked to commitsPost-mortems and runbooksCheck first, or leave outCode your clients ownSecrets in history (scan and rotate)Customer data in fixtures and dumpsThird-party code you can’t vouch for
A starting point for scoping, not a legal test.

04Before you apply

  1. Inventory repos, years of history and who owns each.
  2. Run a secrets scan across all history.
  3. List third-party and open-source components.
  4. Read the licence's scope, exclusivity and confidentiality terms with a lawyer. This isn't legal advice.

05Check which programmes you're likely to match

Our free fit check asks about your size, location, records and tools. The programme decides.

06Questions people ask

Can I sell my company's source code to AI companies?

You can license code your company owns. Mercor and micro1 both publish programmes that take it. Check open-source licences, scrub secrets, and leave out code your clients own.

Why do AI labs want private code?

Public code is already widely used. Private codebases with their history show how real teams build, review and fix software, which is what coding models need.

Does licensing code mean giving it away?

No. You license a copy for training under agreed terms. Read the scope, exclusivity and confidentiality terms closely.

Sources

Check which programmes you’re likely to matchA few short questions, about a minute. Free, no sign-up. The programme decides who qualifies.trackimpact.io/data →