Google is buying Play Store developers' code for AI training

A confidential pilot turns Android app codebases into paid data assets, with terms and payout sizes still undisclosed.

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Primary source: 404 Media

Why it matters

Google's pilot could turn private app code into a new form of non-dilutive funding for founders, but it also creates fresh diligence questions around IP, data rights, and defensibility.

Illustration of a large figure labeled Google absorbing blocks of code, some marked with the Android robot, representing Play Store developers' code collected for AI training.

Google (@Google) is offering to pay some Android app developers for access to the code behind Play Store apps, according to a 404 Media report based on an email sent to a developer whose app has millions of downloads.…

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