Michael Dell

Michael Saul Dell was born on February 23, 1965, in Houston, Texas, United States. His father was an orthodontist, and his mother worked as a financial consultant and stockbroker.⁠[1]

In 1983, Dell enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin to study biology, originally planning to become a doctor. While a student he sold computer upgrade kits, and in 1984 he left school to focus on his business without completing his undergraduate degree.⁠[1]

In 1984, he founded PC’s Limited with $1,000.⁠[2]

Dell’s early model was to deal directly with customers and build computers to order, reducing intermediary sales and inventory costs. He later explained that customers often paid before the company paid its suppliers, which helped support rapid growth.⁠[1]

The company entered the United Kingdom market in 1987, and its 1988 initial public offering raised $30 million. In 1992 the company joined the Fortune 500, and the 27-year-old Dell became the youngest chief executive on that year’s list; in 1996 the company’s website was selling more than $1 million a day.⁠[2]

Dell established MSD Capital in 1998 to manage investments for his family. At the end of 2022 the firm was reorganized as Dell Family Office.⁠[3]

In 1999, Michael and Susan Dell co-founded the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, which carries out philanthropic work in education, health, and improving families’ opportunities; Susan serves as the foundation’s chair.⁠[4]

In 1999, Dell published Direct from Dell: Strategies That Revolutionized an Industry.⁠[2]

Dell has served as the company’s chairman since 1984. He stepped down as chief executive officer in July 2004 while remaining chairman, and returned as chief executive officer in January 2007.⁠[5]

Dell launched the Venue smartphone and exited the business in 2012. Looking back in 2024, Michael Dell described it as a capital allocation mistake, saying the company was not good at mobile operating systems and that the incumbent platforms were already firmly entrenched.⁠[6]

In July 2010, the SEC charged Dell Inc. and certain executives with failing to adequately disclose matters including payments from Intel. Michael Dell agreed to pay a $4 million civil penalty to settle the disclosure charges against him personally; the company separately paid $100 million. The settlements were made without admitting or denying the allegations.⁠[7]

A federal district court approved the settlement on October 13 of that year. His personal settlement concerned disclosure and related reporting liability under a negligence standard; it did not include the accounting fraud charges separately settled by the company and others, nor did it bar him from continuing to serve as an officer or director of the company.⁠[5]

On October 29, 2013, Michael Dell and Silver Lake completed the take-private acquisition of Dell, a transaction valued at approximately $24.9 billion. Shareholders received $13.75 in cash plus a special dividend of $0.13 per share, and the company’s stock subsequently ceased trading on Nasdaq.⁠[8]

From December 2015 to February 2025, Dell served as non-executive chairman of SecureWorks, a term that ended with the company’s acquisition by Sophos.⁠[9]

On September 7, 2016, Dell completed its acquisition of EMC, bringing its personal computer, enterprise storage, and VMware-related businesses together under Dell Technologies.⁠[2]

Michael Dell served as chairman of VMware from September 2016 until Broadcom completed its acquisition of the company in November 2023.⁠[9]

On December 28, 2018, Dell Technologies completed its Class V tracking stock exchange transaction, paying $14 billion in cash and issuing Class C common stock. The Class C shares began regular-way trading on the New York Stock Exchange that day under the ticker DELL.⁠[10]

On November 1, 2021, VMware completed its spin-off from Dell Technologies and became an independent company, with the two maintaining a commercial partnership.⁠[11]

That same year, Dell published his second book, Play Nice But Win.⁠[2]

MSD Partners, which had invested for the Dell family and other investors since 2009, merged with BDT & Company in 2023 to form BDT & MSD.⁠[12]

As of 2026, Michael Dell serves as chairman of the BDT & MSD Advisory Board.⁠[13]

Over the 2018 tracking stock exchange, plaintiff stockholders alleged that Michael Dell, Silver Lake, and other controlling stockholders and directors breached their fiduciary duties by completing the redemption on unfair terms; the defendants argued that the transaction had been approved by an independent committee and by informed, uncoerced minority stockholders. The case settled before trial for $1 billion in cash.⁠[14]

On August 14, 2024, the Delaware Supreme Court affirmed the attorneys’ fee award associated with the settlement. The appeal concerned the allocation of fees and was not a trial on the merits of whether Michael Dell breached his fiduciary duties.⁠[14]

In September 2024, Dell advocated using AI to augment employees’ capabilities and said he expected enterprises to deploy technology across a mix of public cloud and on-premises environments. He emphasized setting clear organizational priorities, assigning accountability, and empowering teams, while acknowledging that new technologies require guardrails and ongoing adjustment.⁠[6]

In 2025, Michael and Susan Dell announced a donation program for children’s investment accounts.⁠[13]

The couple pledged $6.25 billion in philanthropic funds to provide $250 each to the accounts of 25 million eligible American children. The original plan focused on children who do not qualify for the federal $1,000 seed deposit for newborns, primarily those aged 10 and under.⁠[15]

Dell appeared on David Senra’s eponymous interview podcast, in an episode released on October 12, 2025. On the show he said his vision for the company’s transformation is that the core processes of every major function, from software development and customer support to sales and the supply chain, can be dramatically improved; the company is doing this, raising efficiency by taking its data, reimagining processes, and simplifying and standardizing them.⁠[16][16][16][16]

On March 25, 2026, the White House announced Dell’s appointment as a member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), which advises the President on science and technology policy.⁠[17]

As of April 2026, Michael and Susan Dell’s cumulative giving to the University of Texas at Austin over the years had exceeded $1 billion. The new round of support covers a research campus, a medical center, computing facilities, scholarships, and student housing; the medical center is planned to open in 2030.⁠[18]

As of the record date for the 2026 annual meeting of stockholders, Michael Dell and the other MD stockholders together held approximately 45.7% of the common stock and 77.5% of the total voting power.⁠[9]

On September 1, 2026, Dell Technologies reported revenue of approximately $47 billion for the second quarter of fiscal 2027, ended July 31, up 58% year over year; of that, revenue from AI-optimized servers was approximately $16.4 billion, up 100% year over year.⁠[19]

Beginning October 1, 2026, the U.S. Department of the Treasury will automatically open accounts for eligible children; accounts that qualify for the Dell donation will automatically receive $250, with no separate application required from families.⁠[15][20]

Dell also participates in the Technology CEO Council, the Business Roundtable, and the executive committee of the World Economic Forum’s International Business Council, and is an honorary member of the Foundation Board of the World Economic Forum.⁠[13]

He also serves on the advisory board of the School of Economics and Management at Tsinghua University and on the board of the Indian School of Business.⁠[9]

Dell: The company Michael Dell founded and leads. Official website: https://www.dell.com/ (opens in a new window)⁠[13]

MSD Capital / Dell Family Office: His family investment firm and its reorganized office. Official website: https://www.dellfamilyoffice.com/ (opens in a new window)⁠[3]

Michael & Susan Dell Foundation: The foundation co-founded by Michael and Susan Dell. Official website: https://www.dell.org/ (opens in a new window)⁠[4]

BDT & MSD: The investment firm formed by the merger of MSD Partners and BDT. Official website: https://bdtmsd.com/ (opens in a new window)⁠[12]

University of Texas at Austin: The university he attended. Official website: https://www.utexas.edu/ (opens in a new window)⁠[18]

VMware: A company he chaired. Official website: https://www.vmware.com/ (opens in a new window)⁠[11]

SecureWorks: Its former website now redirects to Sophos. Official website of the acquiring company: https://www.sophos.com/en-us (opens in a new window)⁠[21]