Who Is Michael Prince based On in Billions? Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg?

We all know that Axel is believed to be based on Steven Cohen. But now that Mike Prince has stepped into the spotlight, Billions fans have been trying to decode who exactly inspired this character.

While he’s been a crucial part of Billions, his life or work hasn’t been sketched out as much as Axel’s to give us many clues.

Here’s the basics that we do know: Prince made his first billion by selling some shares of his and his friend’s company to Microsoft, but refused to sell the remaining so that he could retain control over it.

1. Who is Mike Prince Based on?

Mike Prince is likely to be loosely based on several different billionaire entrepreneurs like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg. Or, that he doesn’t actually have a real-life counterpart.

Since selling his shares to Microsoft, he has ventured into becoming an impact investor. At the end of season 5, it is safe to assume that Prince is richer than Axel.

2. Why Prince might be based on Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg

There are several speculations that Prince’s trajectory may be inspired by Bill Gates, who is arguably one of the biggest philanthropists of our times. In hindsight, Prince selling his company shares to Microsoft, may have been a cheeky Easter egg pointing to this connection. (Microsoft was also founded by Gates and his friend Paul Allen!)

Microsoft’s first major success can also be tracked down to its historic partnership with IBM, which loosely mirrors Prince’s deal with Microsoft.

Then Prince like Gates moves on from his first billion to make more, finally settling on creating a positive image that will justify all the wealth they’ve accumulated.

As for Mark Zuckerberg, I’m talking about Prince being the older Zuckerberg we see today. He is quite inclined towards all things technology — Do you remember his latest move where he literally gave his employees rings that would monitor their health?

I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets interested a Billions’ version of metaverse. 

3. Conclusion

A major point to note is that Impact Investing has only gotten mainstream in the last decade, so there are definitely a lot aspects about Prince that are totally unique to his character.

Many would also argue that “ethical billionaire” is an antithesis in itself — In a capitalist society, no one can become a billionaire without direct or indirect exploitation.

This is why Prince may have to walk the Gates way and establish himself as philanthropist, lest he faces backlash. His newly introduced “Prince List” certainly makes for good publicity.

Or perhaps, Billions S6 will show us that there are indeed more skeletons in his closet and add some more depth to his character.

4. About Billions

Billions is an American drama created by Brian Koppelman, David Levien, and Andrew Ross Sorkin. The series is set in financial centres based in America.

The series follows hedge fund manager Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis), as he accumulates wealth and power in the world of high finance. The series premiered on Showtime on January 17, 2016.