Posted Jul 10, 2026 at 3:54 PM UTCEQuotePhoebe Gates’ shopping app reportedly claimed commissions for sales it didn’t generate.Bloomberg tested the Phia mobile browser extension across more than 50 websites and found that during the checkout process, Phia opened a background tab without user interaction and injected its own referral code that overrode legitimate referrals from other publishers… This allows Phia to claim a commission for sales it did not meaningfully influence.Phia tells Bloomberg it “has since resolved the issue.”Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Emma RothLoading commentsGetting the conversation ready...The Verge DailyA free daily digest of the news that matters most.Email (required)
Phoebe Gates’ shopping app reportedly claimed commissions for sales it didn’t generate.
Bloomberg reports on Phia, the price comparison app launched by Bill Gates’ daughter: > Bloomberg tested the Phia mobile browser extension across more than 50 websites and found that during the checkout process, Phia opened a background tab without user interaction and injected its own referral code that overrode legitimate referrals from other publishers… This allows Phia to claim a commission for sales it did not meaningfully influence. Phia tells Bloomberg it “has since resolved the issue.”
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