Phoebe Gates is working to repair the reputation of her shopping startup, Phia, after an attribution error.
Phoebe Gates and her co-founder, Sophia Kianni, are managing damage control for their shopping startup, Phia, following a report that the company claimed commissions on sales it did not directly drive. The startup, which helps shoppers find discounts, was found to have claimed credit for sales due to a software update error. Phia is currently working with affiliate networks like Impact.com to refund affected brands and reattribute sales to the correct publishers. Impact.com is reprocessing actions credited to Phia between June 20 and July 29 that had not yet been paid out. While the startup has resumed normal operations through Impact.com since July 29, it has been temporarily suspended from the marketplace until it demonstrates a period of compliance. Industry experts suggest the attribution error could damage the company's trust and reputation. Despite the other issues, the founders have not yet publicly addressed the problem.