Michael Dell
Born 1965 · Age 60
Founder, chairman and CEO of Dell Technologies; entrepreneur and philanthropist who built a leading global IT company from a dorm-room startup and led major M&A and strategic transformations.
Compare Your Trajectory
See how your career milestones stack up against Michael Dell and other industry leaders.
Life & Career Timeline
Birth in Houston, Texas
Michael Saul Dell was born to Lorraine (a stockbroker) and Alexander Dell (an orthodontist) in Houston, Texas.
Applied for high-school equivalency exam
At age eight Dell applied to take a high-school equivalency exam, showing early desire to enter business.
First entrepreneurial earnings (stamps/baseball cards)
At 12 he ran a mail-order trading business for stamps and baseball cards and earned about $2,000.
Bought and disassembled Apple II
At about 15 he purchased an Apple II computer and disassembled it to learn how it worked.
Sold Houston Post subscriptions — $18,000 in a year
While in high school Dell sold Houston Post subscriptions using targeted lists and earned $18,000 in a single year.
Enrolled at University of Texas (pre-med)
Started college at University of Texas at Austin as a pre-med student (parents hoped he'd be a doctor).
Started selling PC upgrade kits from dorm
While a freshman he began assembling and selling PC upgrade kits from Room 2713 of Dobie Center.
Dropped out of University to run business full-time
After the business generated substantial revenue (sources cite $80k/month or $6M by year-end), Dell left college to focus on the company.
Registered business as PC's Limited
Recognized direct-to-consumer sales opportunity and registered his company 'PC's Limited', operating from a condominium and selling $50k–$80k in parts and upgrades early on.
Incorporated as Dell Computer Corporation
In May 1984 he incorporated the business (relocated to a business center in North Austin); initial capitalization cited as $1,000.
Turbo PC and early expansion
By 1985 the company employed ~30 people and began producing the Turbo PC (first fully assembled machine made from scratch).
Company renamed Dell Computer Corporation
Company rebranded to Dell Computer Corporation as it scaled operations and prepared for public offering.
Initial Public Offering (IPO)
Dell went public (sources cite raising ~$30 million in the IPO).
Marriage to Susan Lieberman
Michael Dell married Susan Lynn Lieberman in Austin, Texas; the couple later had four children and established a family foundation.
Named 'Entrepreneur of the Year' by Inc. at age 24
Received Inc. magazine's 'Entrepreneur of the Year' recognition (reported as at age 24).
Youngest CEO of a Fortune 500 company
At age 27 Dell became the youngest CEO of a company ranked on Fortune magazine's top 500 list.
Started selling computers online
Launched online sales; by July 1996 the site was selling 30–50 units/day; by March 1997 online sales reached roughly $1M/day.
Founded MSD Capital (family investment firm)
Created MSD Capital L.P. (later renamed DFO Management) to manage family investments and participate in smaller company builds.
Golden Plate Award / Academy recognition
Received the 1998 Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement and other accolades around this time.
Founded Michael & Susan Dell Foundation
Established philanthropic foundation focusing on education, health and child-related causes.
Published 'Direct from Dell'
Authored Direct from Dell: Strategies That Revolutionized an Industry (with Catherine Fredman), recounting company founding and lessons.
Michael & Susan Dell Foundation large-scale philanthropy
Foundation launched and over subsequent years committed hundreds of millions to education and health; by 2010 committed >$650M; later totals reported >$1B (1.23B cited in later summaries).
Company renamed Dell, Inc.
Renamed to Dell, Inc. as product lines expanded beyond PCs (servers, storage, services, devices).
Stepped down as CEO (remained Chairman)
On March 4, 2004 Dell stepped down as CEO while retaining chairman role; Kevin Rollins became CEO.
Estimated net worth ~ $20 billion
By the time he turned 40 the financial press estimated his net worth close to $20 billion.
Dell Children's Medical Center / University of Texas contributions
Foundation supported Dell Children's Medical Center and committed significant funds to create research and medical facilities at UT (e.g., $50M matching grant in 2006).
Donated $50M matching grant to University of Texas
Michael & Susan Dell Foundation announced a $50M matching grant to UT Austin to build facilities including Dell Computer Science Hall and related projects.
Returned as CEO of Dell Inc.
At board request Michael Dell returned as CEO on January 31, 2007, succeeding Kevin Rollins to lead turnaround (Dell 2.0).
Computer Entrepreneur Award (IEEE/Computer Society)
Received the Computer Entrepreneur Award in recognition of entrepreneurial leadership in revolutionizing the PC industry.
Company sales peak ~ $60B
Dell reported record sales (sources cite 2008 sales topping about $60 billion).
Personal SEC settlement payment
As part of the July 2010 SEC settlement, Michael Dell agreed to pay $4M personally to resolve charges related to disclosure failures.
SEC settlement — $100M corporate penalty
Dell Inc. agreed to pay $100M to settle SEC charges related to undisclosed payments from Intel; Michael Dell paid $4M personally.
Keynote at Dell World and major public speaking engagements
Delivered major keynotes (e.g., Dell World) and spoke frequently at industry events (Oracle OpenWorld 2010, Dell World 2011, Academy of Achievement events).
Michael Dell's ownership stake after buyout (reported)
Reports vary: some sources cite Michael Dell receiving ~75% stake; other sources indicate ~16% direct stake combined with partners; conflicting reports reflect complex ownership.
Received Franklin Institute's Bower Award for Business Leadership
Awarded the Bower Award for Business Leadership in 2013 for accomplishments in business and leadership.
Announced bid to take Dell private ($24.4B LBO)
In January 2013 Dell (with Silver Lake and others) announced a leveraged buyout bid to take Dell Inc. private for ~$24.4–25B; Carl Icahn fought the deal.
Dell Inc. officially went private
Dell Inc. completed privatization in October 2013 as part of the management buyout led by Michael Dell and Silver Lake.
Led largest tech acquisition to that date
The announced EMC acquisition ($67B) was labeled the highest-valued tech acquisition in history at the time and repositioned Dell into enterprise IT and storage.
Announced intent to acquire EMC for $67B
Dell Inc. announced its intent to acquire EMC Corporation in a deal valued at about $67 billion — described as the largest tech acquisition at the time.
Became Chairman & CEO of combined Dell/EMC (Dell Technologies)
Following the EMC acquisition Michael Dell became Chairman & CEO of Dell Technologies, the combined enterprise IT company.
Combined company becomes largest privately-controlled tech company
After EMC close, Dell Technologies was described as the world's largest privately-controlled tech company, with broad product and services portfolio.
EMC acquisition finalized; Dell Technologies formed
The $67B acquisition of EMC closed on September 7, 2016; the combined company became Dell Technologies with Michael Dell as Chairman & CEO.
Financial engineering transaction to re-list Dell Technologies
Dell and Silver Lake structured a transaction to return to public markets via a complex buyout of tracking shares (~$21.7B referenced) while retaining control.
Dell Technologies returned to public markets (NYSE listing)
Dell Technologies re-entered public markets in December 2018 via a complex transaction, including buying out tracking stock investors (~$21.7B deal cited).
Acquisition and real-estate investments disclosed (Boca Raton purchase)
MSD Capital / Dell's investment vehicles were involved in major real estate deals; Forbes reported Michael Dell paid ~$875M for the underperforming Boca Raton Resort & Club (reported financing details).
Named to Texas 'Strike Force to Open Texas' and COVID-19 advisory groups
Governor Greg Abbott named Dell to the Strike Force to Open Texas in April 2020; he also advised the COVID-19 Technology Task Force.
Published 'Play Nice But Win'
Released Play Nice But Win: A CEO's Journey from Founder to Leader (co-written with James Kaplan) recounting three defining battles for Dell Technologies.
Forbes breakdown of net worth sources (Oct 2023)
Forbes estimated that roughly $50B of his net worth came from a 50% stake in Dell and 40% stake in VMware, with the rest in his family office DFO Management.
VMware sale to Broadcom — major liquidity event
VMware was sold to Broadcom (reported ~$61–92B range in various sources); Michael Dell and Silver Lake realized substantial gains — reports referenced >$14B cash and ~$70B total gains to owners.
Dell Technologies emphasizes AI strategy
Under Dell's leadership the company doubled down on AI infrastructure, partnerships (Nvidia/ServiceNow), and product offerings at enterprise scale.
DFO Management / MSD Capital managing family assets
MSD Capital (renamed DFO Management) continued to manage large family holdings, including investments in private equity and real estate.
Wealth surpasses $100B (Bloomberg report)
In May 2024 Bloomberg reported Michael Dell's wealth passed $100B (Bloomberg cited ~$113B driven by AI demand and record Dell Tech share price).
Partnership announced with Nvidia and ServiceNow to build 'AI factories'
Dell announced a partnership with Nvidia and ServiceNow to build scalable AI infrastructure (reported May 2024) aimed at enterprise AI deployments.
Ranked 11th-richest person (Bloomberg, Aug 2025)
Bloomberg Billionaires Index listed Michael Dell as the world's 11th-richest person with an estimated net worth of $136 billion (Aug 2025).
Key Achievement Ages
Explore what Michael Dell and others achieved at these notable ages:
Similar Trajectories
Jason Calacanis
Born 1970 · Age 55
American Internet entrepreneur, angel investor, podcaster and author. Co‑founder of Weblogs, Inc., founder of Silicon Alley Reporter and Mahalo, host of This Week in Startups, founder of LAUNCH/Launch Festival and active angel investor (notably an early Uber investor).
Xeni Jardin
Born 1970 · Age 55
American weblogger, digital media commentator and tech-culture journalist; longtime co-editor and partner of Boing Boing, NPR tech correspondent, cofounder of the Freedom of the Press Foundation, breast cancer advocate.
Michael Arrington
Born 1970 · Age 55
American entrepreneur, founder and former co-editor of TechCrunch; later founder/partner at CrunchFund and Arrington XRP Capital; influential tech blogger and crypto investor.
Jeff Atwood
Born 1970 · Age 55
American software developer, author, blogger and entrepreneur. Co‑founder of Stack Overflow / Stack Exchange and Discourse; author of the Coding Horror blog.
John Carmack
Born 1970 · Age 55
American computer programmer, co‑founder of id Software, lead programmer of Commander Keen/Wolfenstein/Doom/Quake, founder of Armadillo Aerospace, former Oculus CTO, now working on AGI with Keen Technologies.
Aileen Lee
Born 1970 · Age 55
U.S. venture capitalist, angel investor, co-founder and managing partner of Cowboy Ventures; coined the term “unicorn” (privately held $1B+ startups); co-founder of All Raise; former Kleiner Perkins partner.