Latest news with #PhoebeGates
News.com.au
15-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Bill Gates' daughter, Phoebe Gates, under fire over ‘insulting' business message
Bill Gates' daughter has been publicly called out by a popular online creator and luxury brand expert over a 'disrespectful' message he received from her new business. Phoebe Gates, the youngest daughter of tech billionaire Bill Gates and Melinda Gates, recently started her own company, Phia, alongside her co-founder and former Stanford University roommate, Sophia Kianni. Phia is an app and mobile browsing extension that aims to help shoppers find the best value for items online. The idea is that, once shoppers have found the product they want to compare, Phia will scour the web and compare new and second-hand listings for the same and similar items. The app went live late last month and boasts an impressive list of investors and advisers, including Kris Jenner, Spanx founder Sara Blakely, and media executive and former president of Honey, Joanne Bradford. The 22-year-old Ms Gates and 23-year-old Ms Kianni have also been on a promotional spree, appearing on the well-known Call Her Daddy podcast, conducting an interview with Ms Jenner and receiving a profile in The New York Times. But not everyone is impressed with the new business venture, or with some of the ways Ms Gates and Ms Kianni are supposedly trying to ramp up publicity. A popular online creator and luxury brand deals expert, Jarrod Jenkins, has called out Phia and it's founders, claiming he was asked to work for 'free' to promote the business. Mr Jenkins describes himself as a luxury brand strategist and boasts over 54,000 followers on TikTok, where he talks about high-end fashion and often compares the prices of similar products. 'Let's talk about how Bill Gates' daughter disrespected me,' Mr Jenkins said in a recent TikTok video. 'So Bill Gates' daughter reaches out to me, I don't know her, but she knows I am a luxury deal expert.' The creator shared a message seemingly sent from the Phia business page about a week before it's launch. In it, the person sending the message explained 'my company @ is launching at the end of the month', before going on to say they 'would love' to give Mr Jenkins early access so that he can share his thoughts with his 'community' when the app goes live. Mr Jenkins claimed he was asked to do this 'for free', noting that this is a service he would usually charge thousands of dollars for. 'She didn't even subscribe to my substack, that's $5 a month, $30 a year and they just signed up for the free tier,' he said. The creator then shared his response, in which he said that if he had been contacted 'well in advance' of the launch, he would have advised Ms Gates and Ms Kianni not to go live with the product. 'I actually downloaded the app and it is absolutely worthless,' Mr Jenkins said, claiming the app recommends entirely different products or products in a different condition to the one being searched. In his experience, he found the app focused on the item description rather than the image and didn't include enough boutiques. In his response, Mr Jenkins offered to serve as an adviser for Phia moving forward, but claims he never received a response. 'Phoebe Gates and her co-founder Sophia aren't trying to sell an actual product, they are trying to sell vibes and business rizz,' he said. 'They want all the publicity, none of the work.' Mr Jenkins' video has been viewed more than 67,000 times and has gained hundreds of comments, with people unimpressed by Ms Gates' business tactics. 'Free is so wildly insulting. Why do rich people do this? Every regular, non-wealthy person I've ever worked for as a freelancer has compensated me,' one person said. 'For FREE?????? & her parents are WHO?!!??!??' another wrote. Many claimed this was stereotypical nepo baby and 'rich kid behaviour', while others were shocked at the 'audacity' of asking someone to work for free. One person wrote: 'I'm so tired of privileged kids entering the fashion space and not putting in the work or at least HIRING & PAYING people who will put in the work.' 'In this shaky economy, billionaire's daughter reaching out like this is so out of touch,' another added.
Daily Mail
14-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Bill Gates' daughter Phoebe, 22, sparks outrage with 'rich kid behavior'
Bill Gates ' daughter Phoebe Gates has sparked outrage with her 'rich kid behavior.' The 22-year-old Stanford University grad - along with former roommate Sophia Kianni - recently launched an e-commerce startup app called Phia. The platform, which went live on April 24, offers shoppers an easy way to compare the prices of new and used items across more than 40,000 selling sites. Phoebe is doing it all without the help of her billionaire father who recently revealed that he was 'worried' his youngest daughter would ask for money to start her new venture after cutting her inheritance. 'I thought, "Oh boy, she's going to come and ask,"' the Microsoft founder, 69, told the New York Times. 'And then I would have kept her on a short leash and be doing business reviews, which I would have found tricky, and I probably would have been overly nice but wondered if it was the right thing to do? Luckily, it never happened.' Instead, Phoebe raised the capital independently, first getting $100,000 from Soma Capital, then $250,000 from the Stanford social entrepreneurship grant, and finally $500,000 in angel investments, bringing the total to $850,000. But in a TikTok that is beginning to circulate, one content creator shared how she had apparently 'disrespected' him. The platform, which went live on April 24, offers shoppers an easy way to compare the prices of new and used items across more than 40,000 selling sites TikTok user Jarrod Jenkins is known for being a luxury deals expert and discusses high-end fashion news and history on his page. In a video posted on March 12, he claimed that Phoebe's business page reached out asking him to review the product and share his thoughts with his followers - for free. 'Mind you, this is a service that I would charge thousands of dollars for, and she didn't even subscribe to my Substack that's $5 a month, $30 a year,' Jenkins said, showing the message he had received. In a scathing response, Jenkins replied to the note to explain that had she reached out before the launch of the app, he would have advised her not to go live with the project yet. He then explained that Phia has some room for improvement, including the fact that it recommends entirely different products or products in a different condition than searched, focuses on the item description instead of the image and doesn't include enough boutiques. 'I actually downloaded the app and it's absolutely worthless,' Jenkins said. But he reached back out saying that he would serve as an advisor - to which he never received a response. Users on TikTok and Reddit slammed Gates, saying she was exhibiting typical 'rich kid behavior.' 'Phoebe Gates and her co-founder Sophia aren't trying to sell an actual product - they're trying to sell vibes and "business rizz,"' Jenkins claimed. He went on to discuss how much publicity the two are getting regardless, including an interview with Kris Jenner, appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast, and profile in the New York Times. 'For FREE?????? and her parents are WHO?!!??!??' one TikTok user wrote in response to the claims. 'THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS AND CALLING THEM OUT,' another wrote. 'I'm so tired of privileged kids entering the fashion space and not putting in the work or at least HIRING and PAYING people who will put in the work.' And the backlash poured onto Reddit too, where someone posted a link to the TikTok under the r/NYCinfluencersnark thread. Users jumped to call Phoebe out for her stereotypical 'rich kid behavior.' Others even argued that despite her dad not investing, being the child of Bill Gates means already being set up for success, despite whether you are talented or not. 'Yes but having BILL GATES as your dad sure helps get Kris Jenner's attention, whether he gave her money or not...' one user wrote. 'Rich kids doing rich kid s**t,' another wrote. 'Pathetic.'
News.com.au
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Bill Gates' daughter Phoebe spills details about $97m estate
Bill Gates' daughter, Phoebe, lifted the lid on what it's like to introduce men to her billionaire father. Speaking to 'Call Her Daddy' host Alex Cooper, the 22-year-old said men are 'terrified' when they meet her 'socially awkward' dad. It's 'terrifying for the guy' to meet her 69-year-old dad at his $US63 million ($A97 million) Washington estate, said Phoebe, who is dating Paul McCartney's grandson Arthur. Although her former potential partners have been scared off by her father, Phoebe revealed that she finds the situation 'hilarious.' 'My dad's pretty socially awkward. It's so funny, ' she added. 'Like he's said before, he has Asperger's. So, like to me, it's so funny. But for guys, I think they get really wigged out'. She then recalled an 'embarrassing' story from her childhood. 'I'll never forget early in high school, before I had a long-term boyfriend, it was like one of my first dances, maybe my sophomore or junior year, and my mum had signed my dad up to drive me and the boy to the dance together,' she said. While they were driving, Phoebe revealed her father forced them to listen to NPR (National Public Radio) and then called the boy with his daughter the wrong name. '[I] literally wanted to die, but honestly, I think now, it's become easier for me because it's just funny when you introduce a guy to your dad, depending on how he reacts, that's how you know if he's going to be a good guy or not,' she said. She is able to joke about the situation because she's more of a 'people person' than her father, she said. 'It used to be a joke [that] our family would be so boring if I wasn't born. I had forced my dad, like at the dad-daughter dances my mum would have us go to, I would force my dad to go talk to all the other dads and daughters there. I was like, 'No. If we're here, we're going to socialise. We've got to work this room, Bill.'' However, Phoebe — who met Arthur during a collaboration event with Stella McCartney and has been dating him for two years — confessed that there is one thing worse than men meeting her dad: Playing a game with him. 'You do not want to play a board game with the two of us, and that's actually worse than introducing a guy to my dad,' she said, branding the two of them 'very competitive.' Phoebe's confession comes less than one month after he revealed the exact percentage of his wealth he plans to leave to his three children, explaining that their inheritance will be less than 1 per cent of his extraordinary $US152 billion ($A234 billion) fortune, per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The Microsoft founder opened up about his feelings around inheritance during an appearance on Raj Shamani's podcast, ' Figuring Out ', when he was asked whether he believes it is a parent's duty to 'save everything for their kids.' Gates said the debate about inheritance comes down to the opinions of the individual parent. However, he said it wouldn't do his children any 'favours' to make them feel as though they were expected to carry on some kind of 'dynasty.' 'Everybody gets to decide on that. In my case, my kids got a great upbringing and education but less than 1 per cent of the total wealth,' he explained. 'I decided it wouldn't be a favour to them [to leave them more]. It's not a dynasty. I'm not asking them to run Microsoft.' Of course, 1 per cent of $US152 billion ($A234 billion) is hardly chump change, and would leave each of Bill's three kids — Jennifer, 28, Rory, 25, and Phoebe — with around $US1.52 billion ($A2.3 billion) each, provided they get their own percentage cut of his fortune. What Gates did not elaborate on is how his wealth will be passed down. Because while the centibillionaire has plenty of bucks in the bank, he also has an array of other high-value assets, including pricey properties across the U.S. At the heart of that property portfolio is Xanadu 2.0, the Washington state compound named for the fictional estate in the movie 'Citizen Kane.' According to Realtor, Gates began building the place in 1988, years before he wed his former wife, Melinda. Located in the Seattle suburb of Medina, Washington State, the compound features amenities, including an advanced security system that can detect who is in the residence by the weight of their footsteps thanks to the pressure-sensitive floors. The Microsoft founder originally purchased the property on which Xanadu 2.0 now sits for $US2 million and then poured an estimated $US63 million into renovating it, turning the home into an ultra-modern oasis fit for a tech titan. The home is now believed to be worth an eye-watering $US130 million ($A207 million) according to Fortune.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Zalando Grows Sales and Users in Q1, Named TikTok Shop's Logistics Partner in Key Markets
PARIS – Zalando's ecosystem strategy is paying off with a strong first quarter, rebounding from losses in 2024. In the three months to March 31, revenue at the German online shopping giant grew 7.9 percent to 2.4 billion euros. More from WWD Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni Launch Shopping Tool Phia to Answer Top Consumer Question: 'Should I Buy This?' Leopard Print Jeans, Faux Fur Coat, and Black Knee-High Boots Among Top Sellers in U.K., According to Shein Faherty Expands 'Second Wave' Resale Program With Mail-in Option 'Our ecosystem strategy is progressing well, and customers and partners are embracing our expanding offerings,' said co-chief executive officer David Schroeder. It has boosted sales, with consumer revenue hitting 2.18 billion euros in the quarter, up from 2.02 billion year-over-year. Consumer sales were driven by bargains at the end of the season, and the company added 2.9 million active users for an all-time high of 52.4 million customers in the quarter. Gross merchandise volume (GMV) was up 6.5 percent to 3.5 billion euros. The company launched a strategy to expand its offerings and move into lifestyle categories one year ago, including adding entertainment into its site to drive engagement and inspiration beyond the simple search-click-buy. That strategy included adding Pinterest-like curated boards, a functionality that has attracted more than 1 million users since it was rolled out to all markets. Zalando will continue to build out this function with users able to create their own boards and interact with other user-generated content to drive engagement. It's also working on creating its own content and livestream shopping channels to further keep shoppers in its ecosystem for entertainment purposes. For example, Gentz said, since the launch of lifestyle-related 'Stories' in 2023, Zalando has told 500 stories, utilizing 700 brands and 7,000 products. That kind of content has an impact on sales. Other key drivers have been the continued expansion of its loyalty program Zalando Plus, now available in 13 markets including Germany, Italy, Spain, France and the Netherlands. Fifteen percent of its users in those markets have already enrolled. Zalando has sought out more upscale partnerships as well. Moves have included becoming the exclusive retail partner for Diane von Furstenberg in Europe, which was backed by a huge marketing campaign touting the platform's fashion credentials, as well as adding Marc Jacobs to its mix in the quarter. The company said it logged 'double-digit growth' in the designer category. The average basket bumped up to 61.1 euros per order, from 60.4 euros in the same period last year, with 58.5 million orders – 3.3 million more year-over-year. Zalando said it sees no signs of slowing down, despite choppy economic waters, with sales in the second quarter off to a 'promising start.' Behind the scenes, logistics and fulfilment arm ZEOS has continued to grow its reach. The company scored big when it was selected as TikTok Shop's preferred logistics partner for fashion and lifestyle in Germany, France and Italy. The first rollout was completed for Germany in the first quarter, as the company expands into social commerce support. Revenue in that category was up 11.6 percent in the first quarter to 240 million euros. 'In B2B, we are delighted to see a continuation of our double-digit growth trajectory as we are working to advance our ZEOS offering with a particular focus on logistics and software solutions this year,' Schroeder added. The company said it wouldd continue to roll out its platform to new markets such as Portugal, Greece and Bulgaria and sees a positive outlook 'despite the fast-changing geopolitical and macroeconomic environment.' Zalando confirmed its full-year guidance, anticipating revenue to ramp up between 4 and 9 percent over 2024, with adjusted EBIT at 530 million to 590 million euros. Best of WWD Harvey Nichols Sees Sales Dip, Losses Widen in Year Marred by Closures Nike Logs $1.3 Billion Profit, But Supply Chain Issues Persist Zegna Shares Start Trading on New York Stock Exchange
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bill Gates' Daughter Launches Phia, A $850K AI-Powered Fashion App With Backing From Kris Jenner And Desiree Gruber
Phoebe Gates, daughter of Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates, has stepped into the startup world with the launch of Phia, a browser extension and mobile app designed to make fashion shopping smarter, more sustainable, and more affordable for Gen Z consumers. Phia, co-founded with Stanford University classmate Sophia Kianni, functions as a digital shopping assistant. The app says it tracks pricing data across more than 40,000 online retailers, surfaces lower-cost alternatives, and according to The Verge, it also highlights secondhand options from platforms like The RealReal (NASDAQ:REAL), Poshmark, and Vestiaire Collective. Phia's goal is to reduce waste while helping users make more financially and environmentally responsible purchases, GeekWire writes. Don't Miss: 'Scrolling To UBI' — Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones. Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — Gates and Kianni, both avid resale shoppers, created the tool after growing frustrated with the lack of reliable pricing and resale discovery options online. According to The Verge, in addition to retail price comparison, Phia's 'Should I Buy This?' feature evaluates whether a shopper is overpaying by using product data, market history, and resale listings. Despite the founder's household name, Phia was not funded by the Gates family. Instead, Phoebe Gates raised capital independently, starting with $100,000 from Soma Capital and a $250,000 Stanford social entrepreneurship grant, GeekWire writes. After multiple rejections, the team secured an additional $500,000 in angel investments, bringing the total raised to $850,000. Among Phia's early supporters are major names from fashion and media. Kris Jenner, entrepreneur and matriarch of the Kardashian-Jenner brand empire, publicly confirmed her role as an investor and mentor during an appearance on "The Burnouts," a podcast hosted by the Phia founders. Jenner's involvement adds visibility and strategic guidance as the company targets a younger, trend-driven demographic. Trending: Hasbro, MGM, and Skechers trust this AI marketing firm — . Investor and business strategist Desiree Gruber, known for her work on "Project Runway" and as the CEO of Full Picture, also joined the funding round, she said in a LinkedIn post. Her post praised the Phia founders and celebrated the launch with enthusiasm, showing her strong support for the company's mission and vision. In addition to Jenner and Gruber, Phia's advisory circle includes media executive Joanne Bradford and Spanx founder Sara Blakely, both of whom are serving as company advisors. Bradford shared on LinkedIn that she's been supporting the team behind the scenes over the past year on copy, product, and go-to-market strategy. Phia represents a growing wave of e-commerce tools that emphasize affordability without sacrificing ethics or style. By embedding into users' regular browsing experience, the app acts as a passive advisor, alerting shoppers to resale alternatives, sale opportunities, and pricing insights without disrupting their shopping flow, according to The sustainability is a core component of Phia's identity. In line with Bill Gates' well-known environmental initiatives, the app encourages secondhand shopping to reduce fashion-related carbon emissions and textile waste. While Phoebe Gates has leaned on her father for personnel advice, she did not seek financial involvement. "Luckily, it never happened," Bill Gates told Business Insider, explaining that he preferred not to play an oversight role in the company. Melinda French Gates encouraged her daughter to raise her own capital, describing it as a growth opportunity. Phoebe Gates told The New York Times that the fundraising process was difficult but essential, adding that her mother "saw it as a real opportunity for me to, like, learn and fail." Phia enters a crowded but evolving space alongside established price-comparison tools like Honey, Rakuten, and Capital One Shopping, The Verge writes. What sets Phia apart is its focus on fashion, its AI-driven resale discovery features, and its cultural positioning with Gen Z consumers. The combination of venture capital, mentorship from high-profile investors, and a technology-forward product gives Phia a unique advantage in the e-commerce landscape. While still in its early stages, Phia's launch signals a broader trend toward merging climate-conscious values with consumer tech. Read Next: Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary called Missing Ring his biggest mistake — Don't repeat history— Deloitte's fastest-growing software company partners with Amazon, Walmart & Target – Image: Shutterstock Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? REALREAL (REAL): Free Stock Analysis Report This article Bill Gates' Daughter Launches Phia, A $850K AI-Powered Fashion App With Backing From Kris Jenner And Desiree Gruber originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Sign in to access your portfolio
