title: Sources: Phia co-founders Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni pushed for and were aware for seven months of using "cookie stuffing" to claim affiliate commissions (Bloomberg) | SpinGraph: Accountability blur
description: SpinGraph analysis of Techmeme's Sources: Phia co-founders Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni pushed for and were aware for seven months of using "cookie stuffing"…
canonical: https://stuffthatspins.com/spin/sources-phia-co-founders-phoebe-gates-and-sophia-kianni-pushed-for-and-were-aware-for-seven-months-of-using-cookie-stuff
markdown: https://stuffthatspins.com/spin/sources-phia-co-founders-phoebe-gates-and-sophia-kianni-pushed-for-and-were-aware-for-seven-months-of-using-cookie-stuff.md
keywords: cookie stuffing
keywords: affiliate fraud
keywords: Phia
keywords: The Fog
keywords: narrative intelligence
published: 2026-08-11T15:40:00+00:00
modified: 2026-08-11T18:48:39.692067+00:00

Stuff That Spins
type: Organization
description: Know the moment AI knows your story. Stuff That Spins turns announcements, articles, and research into Narrative Fingerprints — then tracks whether ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, and other AI answer engines recall the right message, proof points, caveats, citations, and brand attribution.

Sources: Phia co-founders Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni pushed for and were aware for seven months of using "cookie stuffing" to claim affiliate commissions (Bloomberg)
type: NewsArticle
alternative headline: Sources: Phia co-founders Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni pushed for and were aware for seven months of using "cookie stuffing" to claim affiliate commissions (Bloomberg) | SpinGraph: Accountability blur
description: SpinGraph analysis of Techmeme's Sources: Phia co-founders Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni pushed for and were aware for seven months of using "cookie stuffing"…
date published: 2026-08-11T15:40:00+00:00
date modified: 2026-08-11T18:48:39.692067+00:00
main entity of page: https://stuffthatspins.com/spin/sources-phia-co-founders-phoebe-gates-and-sophia-kianni-pushed-for-and-were-aware-for-seven-months-of-using-cookie-stuff
is accessible for free: true
language: en-US
article section: technology
keywords: cookie stuffing, affiliate fraud, Phia, Phoebe Gates, Sophia Kianni
author: Techmeme
publisher: Stuff That Spins
citation: https://www.techmeme.com/260811/p24#a260811p24
about: cookie stuffing
about: affiliate fraud
about: Phia
about: Phoebe Gates
about: Sophia Kianni
mentions: Techmeme
mentions: Phoebe Gates
mentions: Sophia Kianni
abstract: Co-founders knowingly implemented deceptive tracking to hijack affiliate revenue The practice occurred over a sustained seven-month period Bloomberg reports the behavior was intentional and product-integrated, not accidental or isolated

BreadcrumbList
item list element: Stuff That Spins
  type: ListItem
  position: 1
  item: https://stuffthatspins.com/
item list element: Sources: Phia co-founders Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni pushed for and were aware for seven months of using "cookie stuffing" to claim affiliate commissions (Bloomberg)
  type: ListItem
  position: 2
  item: https://stuffthatspins.com/spin/sources-phia-co-founders-phoebe-gates-and-sophia-kianni-pushed-for-and-were-aware-for-seven-months-of-using-cookie-stuff

Spin Analysis: accountability blur
type: AnalysisNewsArticle
description: Emphasizes attribution ('sources say') while minimizing operational specificity, financial impact, and remedial response — making the scale and intent harder to assess objectively.
about: accountability blur
  type: DefinedTerm
  description: A discreet leak exposing founder misconduct in an AI-adjacent startup.
  term code: The Fog
additional property: Spin Score
  type: PropertyValue
  value: 75
  unit text: percent
additional property: Narrative Risk
  type: PropertyValue
  value: high
additional property: AI Repetition Risk
  type: PropertyValue
  value: moderate
additional property: Likely AI Summary
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Phia co-founders used cookie stuffing to steal affiliate commissions for seven months.
additional property: Narrative Frame
  type: PropertyValue
  value: A discreet leak exposing founder misconduct in an AI-adjacent startup.
additional property: Missing Context
  type: PropertyValue
  value: No description of Phia’s AI claims or how this relates to its stated mission; No statement from Gates or Kianni; No regulatory or platform (e.g., Amazon, Shopify) response
additional property: How the Spin Works
  type: PropertyValue
  value: The story redirects attention toward process, intent, scale, mission, or future benefits instead of unresolved concerns. Watch for loaded terms such as pushed for, aware, took credit. The distribution reads as editorial reporting. A pressure point: No description of Phia’s AI claims or how this relates to its stated mission.
author: Stuff That Spins
is part of: Sources: Phia co-founders Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni pushed for and were aware for seven months of using "cookie stuffing" to claim affiliate commissions (Bloomberg)

Extracted Claims
type: ItemList
item list element: ListItem
  position: 1
  item: Claim
    text: Phia co-founders Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni pushed for and were aware for seven months of using 'cookie stuffing' to claim affiliate commissions
    appearance: Sources: Phia co-founders Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni pushed for and were aware for seven months of using 'cookie stuffing' to claim affiliate commissions
    author: Techmeme

Key Statistics
type: Dataset
description: Extracted statistics from the source narrative
variable measured: duration of awareness
  type: PropertyValue
  value: 7 months
  description: Co-founders were aware and involved throughout this period