logo
episode-header-image
Yesterday
19m 33s

The Controversy at Phia, Phoebe Gates’ B...

Bloomberg and iHeartPodcasts
About this episode

The online shopping app Phia raised over $43 million and captured media attention for its A-list investors and its high-profile co-founders — Phoebe Gates, daughter of Bill Gates, and her college roommate and podcast co-host Sophia Kianni.

But Bloomberg reporting suggests that Phia was pushing features that took credit for sales it didn’t drive. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg technology editor Olivia Solon shares her reporting on Phia and what the startup’s founders may have known about those features.

Read more: 

We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer.

Hosted by Sarah Holder; Produced by Julia Press; Reported by Olivia Solon.

Fact-checking by Victor Swezey and Brunella Tipismana Urbano; Engineering by Alex Sugiura and Emma Munger.

Senior Producer and Editor: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Aug 10
The Hedge Fund Toolkit Behind the Yen Intervention
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s move to prop up the yen was as surprising as its impact was fleeting. By Monday, the yen lost half of its gains since last month’s intervention, raising questions about what comes next. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s Daniel Flatley ... Show More
17m 49s
Aug 7
Our Town Chapter 1: Sometimes You Find Silver
Oh, the things you can find with an inquisitive mind – and a metal detector.Today we’re bringing you Chapter 1 of Our Town, a limited-run series from The Big Take, hosted by Meribah Knight with Bloomberg’s Susan Berfield. The series tells the story of a battle over identity fough ... Show More
45m 3s
Aug 6
The Situation at Situational Awareness
Situational Awareness, a hedge fund run by a 24-year-old hailed as “Nostradamus of AI”, swelled to $45 billion in assets until a mix of highly leveraged bets, short sellers and a market swoon threw it into crisis. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s Katherine Burton and Hema ... Show More
18m 36s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2023
Invaluable bonds: rising borrowing costs
<p>America may have avoided a government shutdown last month but its fiscal worries are far from over. And unease in <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2023/09/28/forget-the-shutdown-americas-real-fiscal-worry-is-rising-bond-yields?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podca ... Show More
25m 4s
Sep 2021
Surviving Pay Phones Evoke U.S. Past
Bloomberg News Senior Editor for U.S. Health Care Drew Armstrong discusses how the fast-spreading delta variant has flooded hospitals across the South. Bloomberg City Lab Writer David Dudley shares his Businessweek Magazine story Surviving Pay Phones Evoke Lost U.S. Network of 2 ... Show More
36m 26s
Mar 2024
Cracks widen in Israel’s war cabinet
<p>China has pledged “computing vouchers” to subsidise its AI startups, Bayer is still struggling to move past its Roundup woes, and an Israeli senior minister visits the White House. Plus, Warren Buffett is sounding the alarm over wildfires and the utilities industry. <strong>&n ... Show More
12 m
Aug 2025
Wall Street digests bitter economic data
The FT’s US financial commentator joins to discuss how investors are responding to unsettling new economic data, and Germany’s biggest sports retailer is considering relocating some manufacturing to China. Plus, US President Donald Trump is using tariffs to target Brazil’s judici ... Show More
10m 58s
Mar 2025
Trump-Carney call, Dow plunges, cloning fashion models & more
We start with an escalating trade war between the US and Canada. Hot inflation data has investors worried. Search and rescue operations are underway following a devastating earthquake in Myanmar. Tensions are ramping up again between Israel and Hezbollah. Plus, we’ll tell you how ... Show More
6m 49s
Sep 2023
EV Power Play, Game Changing Oil Find & CBI 'Cash Crunch'
On today's podcast: (1) The EU's Ursula von der Leyen tells Bloomberg China's massive EV subsidies need to be investigated. (2) Rishi Sunak considers pushing back the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel cars. (3) The CBI calls off its AGM at the last minute, amid 'cash-flow challen ... Show More
16m 52s
Jan 2023
How to handle the Biden docs
<p>Tommy and Ben discuss the Davos summit, the latest round of Biden documents, the U.K. blocking a Scottish law that would make gender change easier, more Russian attacks in Ukraine, the new climate spotlight on the UAE, protests in Israel, China’s population on the decline, and ... Show More
1h 15m