Michael S. Dell is a 45-year old American businessman who serves as the current chairman of the board of directors and chief executive officer of Dell, Inc, a Texas-based multinational company that produces and sells personal computers and other related products and services. He has led Dell as its chairman and CEO since he established the information technology company in 1984. He is a self-made billionaire, with a net worth of $12.3 billion as estimated by Forbes Magazine in 2009.
Born on February 23, 1965 in Houston, Texas, Michael Dell attended the University of Texas at Austin for college, where he started his own company called PC’S Limited. The business became a huge success and he decided to drop out of school and continued to run his own business. Eventually, his small business evolved into Dell Computer Corporation, which later became Dell, Inc.
Michael Dell founded his own company, Dell, Inc, with roughly $1,000 and he slowly turned it into one of the largest information technology companies in the world. His IT empire became the largest manufacturer and seller of personal computers from the 1980s until the 1990s. Currently, Dell, Inc is the third largest computer manufacturer in terms of sales, only behind Hewlett-Packard and Acer. His corporation currently sells a variety of desktops, laptops, data storage devices, servers, software and other accessories made by separate manufacturers, such as digital cameras, portable music players and printers.
His enormous success led Michael Dell to become the youngest CEO ever to be included in the Fortune 500 rankings in 1992. Additionally, he was recognized and given various awards by different publications throughout his career, including “Entrepreneur of the Year,” “Man of the Year,” “Top CEO in American Business,” and “CEO of the Year.”
Aside from his chief post in Dell, Inc, Michael Dell has served other roles in various organizations. He is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Foundation Board and a part of the International Business Council’s executive committee. He also plays an active role in the U.S. Business Council. Likewise, he is a philanthropist, establishing the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation with his wife in 1999.
Michael Dell currently lives in Austin, Texas with his wife and their four children.