tech
Phoebe Gates took a secret Stanford class on how to ‘rule the world’—and reportedly recruited employees for her startup accused of wire fraud
Long before Phoebe Gates cofounded the AI personal shopping assistant Phia, she was a student at Stanford University working towards a bachelor’s degree in human biology. While her transcript reflects coursework in epidemiology and health policy analysis, Gates attended one secret winter-quarter class that reportedly helped her establish Phia.
TL;DR
- Phoebe Gates, cofounder of AI shopping assistant Phia, attended a secret Stanford class titled 'So You Think You Can Rule the World?'
- The off-the-record course, taught by Justin Lewis-Weber, focused on manipulating power structures and bureaucratic systems.
- Gates reportedly used the network from this class to recruit employees for her startup, Phia.
- Phia is accused of cookie stuffing, an illegal affiliate fraud practice that allegedly generated over half of its revenue.
- Evidence suggests Gates and cofounder Sophia Kianni were aware of the cookie stuffing practices for months, contradicting their public statements.
- The startup has faced significant funding rounds and is valued at around $185 million.