Google employee charged with using search data to make $1.2 mil on Polymarket
A Google employee has been charged with insider trading for allegedly using confidential search data to profit over $1.2 million on Polymarket. Michele Spagnuolo, who worked for Google since 2014, reportedly placed bets on trending searches before the data was publicly released. The case highlights ongoing concerns about insider trading in prediction markets and the need for regulatory oversight.
- ▪Michele Spagnuolo, a Google employee, is accused of using confidential information to make over $1.2 million on Polymarket.
- ▪The employee allegedly placed bets on search trends using internal data before it was published.
- ▪Google has placed Spagnuolo on leave and stated that using confidential information for betting is a serious breach of policy.
9 outlets in our directory ran this story, first to last over 42 hours. Coverage spans 2 points on the political spectrum — 1 lean left, 7 centre.
- ▪ Google engineer arrested for using internal search data to win $1.2 million on Polymarket — TechSpot
- ▪ A Google engineer is facing federal charges after allegedly using his employer’s confidential data to pocket $1.2 million on Polymarket — Fortune
- ▪ Google engineer charged with using inside information to win $1.2M on Polymarket — Crypto Briefing
- ▪ Google worker charged for using internal data to make $1.2m on Polymarket — BBC News — Tech
- ▪ Google employee charged with fraud after winning $1.2m on Polymarket — Boing Boing
- ▪ A Google employee allegedly used inside information to win $1.2 million on Polymarket — The Verge
- ▪ Google Employee Charged For Alleged Polymarket Bets - The Information — Google News
- ▪ Google employee charged with using inside information to make $1M on Polymarket — ABC News — Top
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| Original publisher | Korea Times |
| Canonical URL | https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/world/20260529/google-employee-charged-with-using-search-data-to-make-12-mil-on-polymarket?utm_source=rss |
| Publication time | Thu, 28 May 2026 19:12:04 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-28T19:14:58.152Z |
| Last seen | 2026-05-28T19:14:58.152Z |
| Headline source | Publisher (no WeSearch rewrite) |
| Excerpt source | publisher body |
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| Summary | WeSearch · cerebras-chat (WeSearch summarizer) |
| Summary source text | contentText |
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| Cluster | ypKKoWvjCvja · 10 stories |
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| Publisher visit | Yes — open original |
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| Commercial reuse | May the content be reused commercially? | Not permitted |
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Polymarket logo appears in this illustration taken Apr. 22. Reuters-YonhapNEW YORK — U.S. prosecutors slapped insider trading charges against a Google employee this week, alleging the software engineer used confidential company information to pocket more than $1.2 million from prediction market platform Polymarket with bets on search trends.In a complaint unsealed in New York, authorities identified the employee as 36-year-old Michele Spagnuolo — an Italian citizen residing in Switzerland who has worked for Google since 2014.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Korea Times.
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