By The Daily Caller (U.S.) | Created at 2026-08-13 18:46:53 | Updated at 2026-08-13 22:04:59
4 hours ago
Bill Gates’ daughter, Phoebe Gates, 23, is accused of “cookie stuffing” at her multibillion-dollar digital startup, Phia.
Phia helps shoppers find discount codes and access the lowest pricing on items purchased online during the checkout process. When a shopper uses Phia’s browser extension to make a purchase, the software drops a “cookie” that tracks the retailer and indicates that Phia earned a commission for driving the sale.
A July 2026 Bloomberg investigation alleged that Phia co-founders Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni knowingly pushed for features within the software that took credit for sales they didn’t actually drive. The illicit practice carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.
Phia — the buzzy shopping app co-founded by Bill Gates' daughter, Phoebe — is claiming credit for online sales it didn’t actually drive, a Bloomberg investigation found. Read our exclusive story: https://t.co/KYuWkmkE7D
📷️: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images pic.twitter.com/mFeXaMN9pD
Phia generated $30 million in 2025 from big-name backers including Hailey Bieber and Kris Jenner, and took credit for sales from prominent companies including Nike, Nordstrom, and Gap, according to the report.
Bloomberg alleged that after they exposed the alleged cookie-stuffing in July, Phia disabled the features in question and saw their daily revenue drop from $80,000 to between $10,000 and $28,000.
Bloomberg claimed to have Slack messages and information from those close to the situation showing that Gates and Kianni were aware of the cookie-stuffing for at least seven months, but they said they had only become aware of the matter “within the last 24 hours,” according to the Bloomberg report.
Phoebe Gates’ Shopping App Phia Responds to Accusations It Knowingly and Inaccurately Claimed Sales https://t.co/ElP2gCyiiW
— People (@people) August 12, 2026Gates and Kianni asserted that they would fix the issue.
A Phia spokesperson told The New York Post: “Any features causing misattributions were immediately removed over a month ago on July 7. We are reviewing every transaction; we are fully committed to and have already begun issuing all transaction reversals to brand partners as a result of any misattribution, and we are hiring a head of compliance to make sure something like this never happens again.”
The report alleged that Gates wrote a message December 18 on Slack that said, “worried this is an issue across the board…can u confirm auto pop for cookie drop is live on ALL sites w a coupon to confirm we are monetizing on all gmv.”
They claimed Kianni suggested a cookie be dropped each time a user closed a Phia pop-up.
A Phia spokesperson denied Bloomberg’s allegation. (RELATED: Bombshell Indictment Reveals Chilling Allegation In Rob Reiner Murder Case)
Again, this is called cookie stuffing!
On a simple level, it’s automatically injecting affiliate tracking cookies to claim commissions on sales you didn’t drive.
It’s typically treated as federal wire fraud in US courts.
There’s a possibility of a max penalty of up to 20 years… https://t.co/Oiz6PyJ0Qm
Ariel Givner, founder at Givner Law, issued a warning on X Tuesday that cookie stuffing is “typically treated as federal wire fraud in US courts.”?
“There’s a possibility of a max penalty of up to 20 years prison + fines/restitution,” Givner wrote.
