One of Bill Gates‘ three kids, Phoebe Gates, is looking to become a successful entrepreneur and figure like her father, but might not be going about it the best way.
As the prodigy is in the midst of working on her AI shopping startup, Phia, she was accused of “lowballing” an influencer. Phoebe was slammed online by a popular influencer and content creator who shared screenshots of her requesting to pay her a measly $250 to promote Phia. The screenshots, though not yet confirmed or acknowledged by Phoebe, caused a lot of controversy, as many couldn’t understand why the daughter of a billionaire would be offering so little. Read more about the situation below.
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Phoebe Gates Reportedly Offered A Content Creator $250 To Collaborate With Her $180M Startup
One of the most famous billionaires out there is Bill Gates, for his work with Microsoft and his lasting influence on the tech world. Now, his youngest daughter, Phoebe, is ready to make some waves herself.
Reports have emerged that the 23-year-old is making a lot of progress with her startup, her brand Phia, which is an AI shopping tool that can help users compare prices of certain fashion items to get couture items at a discount. She began working on it in 2023 with her roommate from Stanford, and is now allegedly looking for some influencers and content creators to collaborate with.
Recently, a lifestyle influencer, Kacie Margis, took to Threads to complain about Phoebe, who sent her a direct message asking if she'd like to "collab" as Phia is said to launch later this month, and described it as a "scrappy startup" with a "super limited budget," subsequently offering her only $250 for her work.
"When a billionaire's daughter says the budget is 'super limited' and it's a 'scrappy little startup' to try to pay me less than what my posted rates are," Kacie wrote on Threads along with the screenshot of Phoebe's offer message.
Social Media Users Slam Phoebe After Seeing Her Brand's Offer Despite Her Dad's Status
After Kacie shared the screenshot of the Gates "nepo baby" message, social media users began freaking out, with many people beginning to join the bandwagon of slamming her and her privilege. Many could not believe she would reportedly offer people such low payments and call her startup "scrappy," considering her father's billionaire status.
Additionally, reports have estimated that the brand is valued at roughly $180M, making the struggling startup narrative a little harder to believe.
"She deserves getting snarked at for this because a 'super limited budget' really means she's about to lowball you when she's a whole billionaire's daughter," wrote a Reddit user. "It's just a terrible look and an offshoot of why I hate billionaires so much. Like, read the room, it's so greedy."
"This is embarrassing and honestly déclassé," wrote another. "Cringe."
"Your dad is a billionaire!" echoed a user.
