Tamal Kundu
Created by Brian Koppelman, David Levien, and Andrew Ross Sorkin, ‘Billions’ is a drama series that tells the story of the conflict between hedge fund billionaire and philanthropist Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis) and district attorney turned Attorney General of New York Charles “Chuck” Rhoades, Jr. (Paul Giamatti). In the final episode, the conflict comes to an end for now when Bobby manages to flee to Switzerland, a country that doesn’t have an extradition treaty with the US for certain white-collar crimes. This allows ‘Billions’ to really open up its narrative and introduce a completely new billionaire for Chuck to go after.
This new billionaire is Michael Prince (Corey Stoll). Michael is as ruthless as Bobby, but they are fundamentally different in every other aspect. He sees himself as a moral billionaire and seeks to run his business with that view in mind. Predictably, this means that he has to deal with the confused and rebellious employees that he inherited from Axe when he purchased the company. In season 6 episode 1, titled ‘Cannonade,’ Michael distributes a smart ring called Nimbus among the staff of the newly renamed Michael Prince Capital. Here is everything you need to know about it. SPOILERS AHEAD.
What Is Nimbus Ring?
The Nimbus is a smart device shaped like a ring. According to Michael, it was developed as a part of a start-up. The Nimbus keeps track of the wearer’s biometric data through in-built sensors. However, unlike regular smart devices, it sends the data it collects to Michael. So, basically, it serves as a tracker.
In the season 6 premiere episode, Michael and Scooter Dunbar realize that Wags is having a heart attack because he has been wearing a Nimbus at the time. They had plans with these rings. The initial days after the takeover aren’t going well. The staff constantly compares Michael with Axe and finds the former wanting in several key aspects.
After finding out about Wags’ heart attack, Michael and Scooter inform the emergency services, who get to Wags’ home in time before anything serious occurs. After Wags returns to work, he figures out exactly what type of device the Nimbus is and reveals it to the rest of the staff. It turns out that Taylor had some inclination about it. After the fiasco, the staff becomes even more hostile toward the new management. This continues until Michael’s announcement about the Prince List. He also promises his employees that they are the only ones who will have access to their Nimbus data.
Is Nimbus a Real Device?
Smart rings exist in real life. They are used as a security device; to monitor activity and biometric data; and for payments, communications, and social media. When it comes to activities, smart rings work in the same way as smartwatches. They have sensors that can track heartbeat, movement, blood flow, body temperature, and sleep tracking. While they are even more portable than smartwatches, all of their shortcomings stem from their size as well. This includes a small and comparatively not that accurate accelerometer.
Read More: Why Did Damian Lewis’ Axe Leave Billions?
