Phia, the shopping startup co-founded by Bill Gates' daughter, Phoebe Gates, and Sophia Kianni, has been accused of a practice known as 'cookie stuffing,' which may have helped the product receive commissions and credit for sales it did not actually generate, according to a Bloomberg investigation. The report has sparked controversy and led to Phia's suspension from Impact.com, a leading affiliate and influencer platform. Other startups have been sued over 'cookie stuffing,' notably Honey, which is owned by PayPal and remains the subject of an ongoing class action lawsuit. Founded in 2025, Phia has raised more than $40 million in funding and has a star-studded list of investors, including Khloe Kardashian and Hailey Bieber. The startup developed an app as a browser extension that works somewhat like Google Flights, but for shopping. Phia helps customers find the lowest-priced items across various retailers as well as discount codes to use when shopping. The company takes a...
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