Michael Dell
American business executive; founder, chairman and chief executive of Dell Technologies
| Michael Dell
| |
|---|---|
| Born | 23 2 1965 (age 61 years old (as of 2026)
) United States |
| Occupation | business executive and investor |
| Known for | Founder, chairman and CEO of Dell Technologies |
| Education | University of Texas at Austin |
Michael Dell (born 23 February 1965) is an American business executive, founder, chairman and chief executive of Dell Technologies.[1] On 20 October 2026 the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires list ranked Dell sixth in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$238.8 billion; Forbes gives the source of wealth as Dell Technologies.[2] The Bloomberg Billionaires Index, as reported by Investopedia, put the figure at US$253 billion on 1 October 2026.[3]
Background
Born 23 February 1965 in the United States.[1]
In its 2017 World's Billionaires profile text, Forbes stated: "With $1,000, he started Dell in his University of Texas dorm room in 1984 when he was 19."[1]
Education
Attended the University of Texas at Austin; did not graduate. Started selling computers from his dorm room at 19.[1]
Career and companies
Chairman and CEO of Dell Technologies, formed in 2016 through the $60 billion merger with EMC; the company was taken private with Silver Lake in 2013 and returned to public markets in 2018. Private investment firm DFO Management.[1]
How the wealth was made
Dell Technologies stake, proceeds from VMware (sold to Broadcom in 2023 for $69 billion, 39% of which went to Dell, per Forbes) and DFO Management investments.[1]
Wealth history
Forbes has included this person in its annual World's Billionaires list in 26 of the editions from 2001 to 2026 checked for this profile, starting with 2001. The table gives the rank and estimated net worth in each annual list, and, where applicable, the rank and estimate in the Forbes 400 list of the richest Americans.[4][1]
| Year | World's Billionaires rank | Net worth (US$ bn) | Forbes 400 rank | Forbes 400 net worth (US$ bn) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | – | – | 106 | 1.1 |
| 1997 | – | – | 16 | 5.5 |
| 1998 | – | – | 4 | 13.0 |
| 1999 | – | – | 5 | 20.0 |
| 2001 | 27 | 10.5 | 15 | 9.8 |
| 2002 | 18 | 11.1 | 11 | 11.2 |
| 2003 | 24 | 9.8 | 10 | 13.0 |
| 2004 | 18 | 13.0 | 9 | 14.2 |
| 2005 | 18 | 16.0 | 4 | 18.0 |
| 2006 | 12 | 17.1 | 9 | 15.5 |
| 2007 | 30 | 15.8 | 8 | 17.2 |
| 2008 | 40 | 16.4 | 11 | 17.3 |
| 2009 | 25 | 12.3 | 13 | 14.5 |
| 2010 | 37 | 13.5 | 15 | 14.0 |
| 2011 | 44 | 14.6 | 18 | 15.0 |
| 2012 | 41 | 15.9 | 22 | 14.6 |
| 2013 | 49 | 15.3 | 25 | 15.9 |
| 2014 | 48 | 17.5 | 25 | 17.7 |
| 2015 | 47 | 19.2 | 23 | 19.1 |
| 2016 | 35 | 19.8 | 20 | 20.0 |
| 2017 | 38 | 20.4 | 19 | 23.2 |
| 2018 | 39 | 22.7 | 17 | 27.6 |
| 2019 | 25 | 34.3 | 18 | 32.3 |
| 2020 | 33 | 22.9 | 18 | 35.6 |
| 2021 | 30 | 45.1 | 18 | 50.1 |
| 2022 | 24 | 55.1 | 16 | 50.0 |
| 2023 | 23 | 50.1 | 11 | 71.5 |
| 2024 | 16 | 91.0 | 12 | 101.0 |
| 2025 | 17 | 97.7 | 10 | 129.0 |
| 2026 | 13 | 141.0 | 4 | 263.0 |
Philanthropy
Michael and Susan Dell pledged $6.25 billion on 2 December 2025 to give $250 each to 25 million American children aged 10 and under, using the “Trump Accounts” infrastructure.[5]
Foundation-level: the following private foundation figures are taken from the IRS Form 990-PF data published by ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. Total assets are as reported at the end of each tax year; "grants paid" is the 990-PF line for contributions, gifts and grants paid.[6]
| Foundation | Tax year | Total assets, end of year | Contributions, gifts and grants paid | Contributions received |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael & Susan Dell Foundation | 2023 | 5,415.3 | 107.0 | 3,573.6 |
| Michael & Susan Dell Foundation | 2022 | 1,642.0 | 118.3 | 44.1 |
| Michael & Susan Dell Foundation | 2021 | 2,069.5 | 115.1 | 106.7 |
| Michael & Susan Dell Foundation | 2020 | 1,943.2 | 114.9 | 20.5 |
The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation describes itself as a private foundation established by the Dell family and not affiliated with Dell Technologies.[7]
Political donations and public roles
Itemised contributions recorded by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). Totals are lower bounds: only the top 100 records per name and cycle were retrieved, and memo entries are excluded.[8]
| Cycle | Total (US$, lower bound) | Records | Largest recipient committees (as filed with the FEC) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $10,000 | 2 | Dell Technologies Political Action Committee ($10,000) |
| 2024 | $10,000 | 2 | Dell Technologies Political Action Committee ($10,000) |
Controversies and legal cases
On 22 July 2010 the SEC charged Dell Inc. and senior executives over undisclosed exclusivity payments from Intel in fiscal years 2002–2006. Dell Inc. agreed to pay a $100 million penalty, and Michael Dell a $4 million penalty, without admitting or denying the allegations.[9] Dell’s own release said the allegations concerning Michael Dell were limited to disclosures about the company’s commercial relationship with Intel before fiscal 2008, and did not involve the separate accounting fraud charges settled by the company. He consented to a permanent injunction against future violations of negligence-based and other non-fraud provisions, and the settlement did not restrict his continued service as an officer or director.[10]
International and political links
This section uses the same ten headings for every profile in this series. Only specific, sourced actions are included; company-level and foundation-level actions are labelled as such. Where nothing was found, the entry reads "No documented involvement found in sources checked."
Israel (investments, operations, donations, contracts, statements)
In March 2025 Bank Leumi’s CEO announced that the fund set up by Michael and Susan Dell would invest in, and partner with, Leumi’s new $77 million technology fund.[11]
Zionist or pro-Israel organisations and lobbying groups
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Jewish communal charities
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Gulf states
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
China
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Russia
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
India
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Palestinian or Arab causes
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Home government
The Dell Family Office is listed among investors in the TikTok USDS Joint Venture, established in January 2026 under an Executive Order of 25 September 2025.[12] The $6.25 billion pledge builds on the federal “Trump Accounts” programme (see Philanthropy).[5]
Other international links
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
See also
External links
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Forbes, Forbes profile record for Michael Dell (Forbes data feed behind forbes.com/profile/michael-dell/) Forbes, live record, real-time timestamp 20 October 2026, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ Forbes, Forbes Real-Time Billionaires data feed Forbes, live; downloaded 20 October 2026 11:51 UTC, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ Investopedia, The 10 Richest People in the World (citing Bloomberg Billionaires Index, figures as of 1 Oct 2026) Investopedia, updated 2 October 2026, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Forbes, Forbes World's Billionaires list data feed, annual editions 2001–2026 (one file per year at this path with the year substituted; all 26 files downloaded and read) Forbes, annual lists; downloaded 20 October 2026, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Associated Press, Michael and Susan Dell donate $6.25 billion to encourage families to claim ‘Trump Accounts’ Associated Press, 2 December 2025, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, Michael & Susan Dell Foundation (EIN 36-4336415) – Nonprofit Explorer record with IRS Form 990-PF financial data ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, IRS filings as processed by ProPublica; accessed 20 October 2026, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, Our Giving Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, undated page, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ U.S. Federal Election Commission, OpenFEC Schedule A (itemised individual contributions) query, contributor name "DELL, MICHAEL"; 2024 cycle shown in link, the 2022, 2024 and 2026 cycles were queried with the same parameters; top 100 records per name and cycle; compiler filtered by employer/occupation and excluded memo entries from totals U.S. Federal Election Commission, data as filed; queried 20 October 2026, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC Charges Dell and Senior Executives with Disclosure and Accounting Fraud (press release 2010-131) U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 22 July 2010, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ Dell Technologies (investor relations), Dell Reaches Settlement with Securities and Exchange Commission Dell Technologies (investor relations), 22 July 2010, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ Calcalist (CTech), Bank Leumi CEO Hanan Friedman: Michael Dell is joining Leumi's tech fund Calcalist (CTech), 26 March 2025, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ TikTok Newsroom, Announcement from the new TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC TikTok Newsroom, 23 January 2026, accessed 20 October 2026.