Updated
Updated · Town & Country · Jul 13
Phia Fixes Cookie-Stuffing Code After 1.2 Million Downloads as Bloomberg Retest Finds Misattribution Stopped
Updated
Updated · Town & Country · Jul 13

Phia Fixes Cookie-Stuffing Code After 1.2 Million Downloads as Bloomberg Retest Finds Misattribution Stopped

2 articles · Updated · Town & Country · Jul 13

Summary

  • Phia said it resolved a browser-extension bug that caused commission misattributions for some users, after Bloomberg reported the startup had been claiming credit for sales it did not drive.
  • December-introduced code triggered the issue, the company said, adding that engineers worked overnight after being alerted and that Bloomberg's follow-up testing found the misattribution had stopped.
  • More than 50 websites were examined in Bloomberg's original investigation, alongside analysis from affiliate-marketing researcher Ben Edelman and rival Capital One Shopping, which said it alerted retailers directly.
  • Impact.com suspended Phia's account over policy-violating behavior and is reviewing affected transactions, extending scrutiny of the startup founded in 2025 by Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni.
  • Phia has raised $43.5 million and logged more than 1.2 million downloads in the past year, making the affiliate-marketing dispute a high-profile test for a fast-growing AI shopping app.

Insights

Was Phia's 'cookie stuffing' an innocent bug or a deliberate feature to boost its revenue?
After two scandals, can Phoebe Gates's celebrity-backed AI startup survive its ethical crisis?