Michael Dell dropped out of college after starting his computer company.
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Michael Dell is one of the world's wealthiest people, with a net worth of more than $100 billion.
The Dell Technologies founder made his fortune by democratizing the PC and striking shrewd deals.
Here's a look at his background, career, and how he spends his fortune.
Michael Dell, the tech entrepreneur who helped bring the personal computer to the masses, ranks among the world's wealthiest people with a net worth of $108 billion, per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
From his early career as one of the youngest CEOs of a Fortune 500 company until now, Dell is used to getting his way. He was only 23 when his company had its IPO in 1988. Dell took the PC maker private in 2013 only to relist it five years later, and has now shifted the company's focus toward serving the artificial intelligence boom.
Dell lives the extravagant life of a successful business figure as well, complete with all of the private planes, summer homes, and sweet rides you'd expect from a billionaire.
Michael Dell was born on Feb. 23, 1965, in Houston, Texas.
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Dell was fascinated with gadgets from a young age. When he was 15, he bought one of the first Apple computers and disassembled it to see if he could put it back together.
Though he was really only interested in computers, Dell entered the University of Texas at Austin as a pre-med student in 1983.
Harry Cabluck / AP Images
He spent his spare time upgrading PCs and selling them from his dorm room, making $180,000 in his first month of business. Though Dell never came back for his sophomore year, he returned to his dorm for a photo opp in 1999.
He changed the company's name to Dell Computer Corp. in 1987, and sales continued to soar.
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It went public in 1988, raising $30 million. Dell made about $18 million from the deal, and by 1992, the 27-year-old CEO was the youngest person to lead a Fortune 500 company.
In 1988, he went on a blind date with Susan Lieberman, a fashion designer from Dallas.
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The two had an instant connection. "Most men I dated talked about themselves a lot and tried to impress me," Susan told Texas Monthly. "He was the nicest guy I'd ever met."
They were married in October 1989 and have four children.
In 2001, Susan Dell designed the inaugural ball gowns for Jenna and Barbara Bush.
She operated a successful boutique in Austin and even had two labels of her own before opening a new fashion brand, Phi, in New York City, which she closed in 2009.
Dell loved the resort area of Hualalai so much that in 2006, with the help of Walmart heir Rob Walton, he bought the hotel and resort through his investment company, MSD Capital
Four Seasons Hotels
Dell started MSD Capital in 1998 to manage his family's wealth. The firm has made investments in a number of companies, including IHOP and Applebee's parent company, apparel company Phillips-Van Heusen, and offshore oil drilling company Independence Contract Drilling.
Through MSD Capital, Michael Dell also invested in real estate in Hawaii, Mexico, and California.
MSD Capital
The company invests in luxury hotels, commercial and multifamily properties, and land development, and it participates in other real-estate-development funds.
Dell has his fair share of hot wheels as well.
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His car collection at one point included a 2004 Porsche Boxster, a Porsche Carrera GT, and a Hummer H2.
He's also owned private jets including a Gulfstream V.
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Private planes come in handy when Michael and Susan Dell travel for their nonprofit.
Since 1999, the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation has given billions to nonprofits and social enterprises in the US, India, and South Africa.
Dell is friends with other tech billionaires.
Michael Dell and Marc Benioff
Fitbit
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff is a particular buddy. The two of them did a public Fitbit walking challenge in 2014 and Benioff's team won. But Dell is so competitive (and also a fitness fanatic), that Benioff jokingly suspected that Dell put his Fitbit on his dog to help him score more steps.
In 2004, Dell left the helm of his PC company and became chairman. But in 2007, with Dell's share of the PC market declining, he shook up management, took the reins as CEO, and never let go again. As the PC market continued to decline, he expanded into new markets through new products and acquisitions.
In 2013, the Texan won a long battle to take Dell private, fighting off legendary activist investor Carl Icahn, who wanted to stop the deal, replace the board, and fire Dell.
Two years after winning that battle, Dell announced plans to buy EMC for $67 billion.
EMC CEO Joe Tucci shaking hands with Michael Dell.
Dell
The financing of a deal this huge was complicated, and at first, skeptics thought it would fall apart, citing everything from tax complications to pushback from investors in VMware, a company EMC mostly owned.
Dell didn't lose.
Mike Nudelman/Business Insider
Instead, he catapulted his company into a much bigger one with the purchase of EMC. He became the leader of what was then the largest private company in the tech industry.
After five years as a private company, Dell went public again in late 2018 through a complex arrangement that involved buying back shares in VMware, the software business in which it held an 80% stake.
He received a huge windfall in November 2023, when Broadcom closed its $69 billion takeover of VMware.
The PC tycoon owned nearly 40% of the cloud-computing business before it was sold to the microchip giant. As a result, he received well over $20 billion in Broadcom stock and cash in exchange for his stake, filings show.
Dell stock has surged by over 300% over the past two years, as investors bet it will be a key player in the AI revolution.
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Dell shares have soared from below $34 in September 2022 to around $115, valuing the company at about $82 billion.
The stock surge likely reflects the company's pivot to providing a broad suite of AI solutions to corporations, selling everything from servers and data storage to AI PCs, networking, and services.
Dell trumpeted AI's potential in an interview published this September, saying it would "accelerate and advance scientific discovery" and "make humans happier, healthier, and more successful."
"I'm incredibly excited about it," he added. "As with any new thing, there are all sorts of uncertainties and questions, including how's it all going to happen. Nobody knows, and we love being in the middle of it."
