- By Shailvee Tiwari
- Wed, 23 Jul 2025 03:59 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Bill Gates, the man who co-founded Microsoft, surprised everyone by taking on a new role, working in customer support at Phia, a fashion-tech startup launched by his daughter, Phoebe Gates, and her co-founder, Sophia Kianni. In a light-hearted LinkedIn post, Gates wrote, “When your daughter asks if you’d be willing to work a shift in customer service at her startup, the only right answer is yes.”
What Is Phia?
Phia is a smart fashion platform that uses AI to help people shop better. It compares prices across 40,000+ websites and suggests both new and secondhand options, even eco-friendly ones, so users can get the best deal while shopping more sustainably.
Why Did Bill Gates Join In?
Gates wanted to understand how the app works for real users. By speaking directly to customers and answering their queries, he got a closer look at what people love about the platform, and what needs fixing.
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A Lesson In Leadership:
He later shared, “The best way to know what’s working, and what’s not, is to hear directly from the people using it.” Gates believes that stepping into real-world roles like this is a great way for leaders to stay connected. Bill Gates isn’t the only one doing this. CEOs like Uber’s Dara Khosrowshahi have also taken up ground-level jobs, delivering food and driving passengers, to understand users better.
Supporting Family And Learning Something New:
Gates said he felt proud to see Phoebe and her team taking on such a big challenge and doing it with purpose. By joining her mission, he showed that even billionaires can lend a hand and gain new lessons along the way.