Michael Dell

Michael Dell married Susan Lynn Lieberman in Austin, Texas, in 1989. They have four children and live in the Austin area.

Dell and Susan established the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation in 1999. The foundation supports children's health, education, safety, youth development, and economic opportunity in the United States, India, and South Africa.

Dell developed an interest in business and electronics during childhood. By his early teens, he was investing money from part-time jobs in stocks and precious metals, and at 15 he took apart an Apple II computer to understand how it worked. While in high school, he sold subscriptions to the Houston Post and used public information about newly married couples and recent homebuyers to identify likely customers.

As a freshman pre-medical student at the University of Texas at Austin, Dell began assembling computers and selling upgrade kits from his dormitory. He obtained a vendor license that enabled him to bid on State of Texas contracts without the overhead of a traditional computer store. In January 1984, he registered PCs Limited with $1,000 in start-up capital, then left college at 19 to operate the business full-time.

Dell's model was based on assembling computers after receiving orders and selling them directly to customers. This approach reduced inventory and retail costs while allowing buyers to customize their systems. The company produced the Turbo PC in 1985, changed its name to Dell Computer Corporation in 1988, and introduced online sales in 1996.

Dell became the youngest chief executive of a company ranked among the Fortune 500 in 1992. Dell Computer expanded beyond personal computers into servers, storage systems, printers, and information technology services. In 1999, it surpassed Compaq Computer Corporation to become the world's largest maker of personal computers.

Dell stepped down as chief executive in 2004 while remaining chairman of the board. He returned as CEO in 2007 after the company faced slowing growth, service problems, and stronger competition. His comeback included a broader strategy that moved Dell beyond its PC-centered business into software, services, storage, and enterprise technology.

In 2013, Dell led a transaction that took Dell Inc. private with support from Silver Lake Partners, Microsoft, and lenders. In 2016, Dell oversaw the acquisition of EMC, creating Dell Technologies and strengthening the company's position in servers, storage, and corporate software. Dell Technologies returned to the public market in 2018, and Dell remained its chairman and CEO.

The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation has funded programs focused on urban education, childhood health, family economic stability, and children's development. Its work has included support for organizations connected to the University of Texas at Austin, including the Dell Children's Medical Center, the Dell Pediatric Research Institute, the Michael & Susan Dell Center for the Advancement of Healthy Living, and a university computer science building.

Dell has written Direct from Dell: Strategies That Revolutionized an Industry, published in 1999 with Catherine Fredman, and Play Nice But Win: A CEO's Journey from Founder to Leader, published in 2021 with James Kaplan. His honors include Inc. magazine's Entrepreneur of the Year award, the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement, and the Franklin Institute's Bower Award for Business Leadership.

He has served on the Foundation Board of the World Economic Forum and the executive committee of the International Business Council. He was also a member of the U.S. President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and participated in Texas and industry technology groups during the COVID-19 pandemic.