Bill Gates' Daughter Phoebe's App Accused of Deceitful Sales Attribution

In a shocking turn of events, Bill Gates' daughter, Phoebe, and her co-founder Sophia Kianni are under scrutiny following accusations that their app, Phia, has been fraudulently claiming credit for sales it didn't drive. According to sources close to the matter, the duo reportedly knew about the practice since December and exchanged internal messages regarding it on Slack.

The controversy surrounds Phia – a price comparison and e-commerce app that helps shoppers find discount codes as part of the checkout process. When purchases are made using the app, the company earns commission from partnering retailers. However, there's been a revelation that the browser extension was fraudulently reporting sales even when Phia wasn't used in the transaction.

The deception occurred through the setting of web tracking devices known as cookies during the checkout process, thereby misattributing sales to Phia. In a new statement, a Phia spokesperson confirmed that features causing such misattributions were removed on July 7. The company is currently working on issuing transaction reversals to brand partners and has hired a head of compliance to prevent future occurrences, but they have yet to acknowledge that Phoebe and Sophia were allegedly aware of the deceitful practice.

An alleged Slack message from a Phia data scientist on July 7 suggests that cookie stuffing accounted for an estimated 51% of the sales Phia was taking credit for during the month of June. This revelation comes as a significant blow to the integrity of the app and its founders, given their high-profile connections. The matter is currently under investigation, and further updates are expected in due course.