Gates' Daughter's App Accused of Cookie Stuffing

The AI shopping plugin Phia, launched last spring and co-founded by Phoebe Gates, Bill Gates' daughter, and Sophia Kianni, has reportedly been using deceptive practices. Investigations by researchers and financial institutions revealed that Phia allegedly engaged in cookie stuffing, a tactic that attaches the app's affiliate code to sales it did not directly facilitate.

According to detailed reports, Phia's browser extension was found to invisibly load its affiliate link into a second tab after a user visited a merchant's website. This led to the plugin claiming referral commissions for sales it did not generate, impacting other publishers who should have received credit. The problematic feature was reportedly rolled out in December 2025.

A spokesperson for Phia stated that the company was made aware of misattributions from a subset of users due to a recent code release. The company claims its team worked overnight to identify and resolve the issue, and it has since been fixed. Investigations by Bloomberg and Capital One Shopping, along with researcher Ben Edelman, brought these alleged practices to light.