Phia Shopping App Claims Affiliate Commissions for Sales It Did Not Generate, Bloomberg Investigation Finds
A Bloomberg investigation found that Phia, the shopping app co-founded by Bill Gates’ daughter Phoebe Gates, falsely claimed affiliate commissions for online purchases it did not actually drive. The app generated revenue by secretly injecting its affiliate tracking code into checkout transactions originally made through other retail and review partners.
The embedded code allowed the startup to credit itself as the sales source and redirect commission payments, effectively extracting fees from outlets such as Wirecutter. Bloomberg reporters Olivia Solon, Jeff Kao and Priyanjana Bengani identified the practice, which has drawn criticism regarding transparency in e-commerce affiliate marketing attribution.
From the sources (4 posts)
@businessPhia — 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: 📷️: Dia Dipasupil/G
@thestalwartWow. Great Investigation from @oliviasolon @jeffykao and Priyanjana Bengani on how Phia, a startup founded by Bill Gates’ daughter Phoebe, takes $$ from other outlets (e.g. Wirecutter) by surreptitiously injecting its affiliate code into tr
@unusual_whalesBREAKING: Phoebe Gates’, Bill Gates' daughter, shopping app reportedly claimed commissions for sales it didn’t generate, per Bloomberg
@compound248Bill Gates’ daughter’s shopping app - Phia - appears to take credit for transactions it didn’t generate. This is akin to taking credit for creating software you didn’t conceive of… 😷