Who’s really scraping the bottom of the barrel in the influencer game?

A $180M AI Startup, a $250 Booking, and the Backlash That Followed

Phoebe Gates, the 23-year-old founder of Phia—a New York-based AI shopping tool valued at nearly $180 million—is under fire for what critics call a glaring mismatch between her "hustler" persona and her actions.

The DM That Sparked the Firestorm

In April 2025, Kacie Margis, a California-based lifestyle influencer, shared screenshots of an Instagram DM from Gates proposing a collaboration. Gates, framing Phia as a "scrappy startup" with a "super limited" budget, avoided quoting a price outright. Instead, she asked Margis to share her rates—a move that reeked of performative humility.

Margis, whose standard fee is $250, was not impressed. She called out Gates on Threads, exposing the hypocrisy of a founder who found her rates upfront on Collabstr—a platform designed for transparent pricing—yet still tried to negotiate privately.

The Internet’s Verdict: "Grifting A—hole" or Just Entitled?

The response was swift and brutal. Social media users didn’t mince words:

• "Liquidate your Tiffany bracelets instead of lowballing creators."
• "So much for ‘I didn’t take dad’s money.’"
• "If you’re so focused on merit, why start by undervaluing the people who’d help you grow?"

Gates has long positioned herself as a self-made entrepreneur, insisting she refused her family’s wealth to avoid conflating Phia with her father’s controversies. But her actions—lowballing creators, denying privilege—paint a different picture. If Phia is truly built on merit, why begin by exploiting labor?

The Bigger Issue: When "Collaboration" Means Underpayment

This isn’t just about $250. It’s about respect, transparency, and the unspoken power dynamics in influencer marketing.

Platforms like Collabstr were supposed to democratize bookings by letting creators set their prices. Yet Gates’ approach suggests some still see this as a negotiation game—one where the person with the "hot name" gets to dictate terms.

Margis held her ground. Not everyone has that leverage—especially when the other party carries the Gates name.

The Final Word: Merit or Entitlement?

The backlash isn’t just about the money. It’s about entitlement—the idea that some founders believe they can undervalue the people who help build their success.

If Phia is truly a disruptive, merit-based startup, why start by cheating the system before it even launches?