Michael Dell, founder, chairman and chief executive of Dell Technologies, is ranked No. 13 on the Forbes 2026 World’s Billionaires list with a net worth of $141 billion. He dropped out of the University of Texas at 19 to run his computer business.
Michael Saul Dell was born on February 23, 1965, in Houston, Texas. His father, Alexander, was an orthodontist and his mother, Lorraine, a stockbroker. He enrolled in pre-med at the University of Texas in 1983 to please his parents.
Net Worth and Rank
- Forbes 2026 list: No. 13, with $141 billion
- Later estimate: Wikipedia cites a Forbes estimate of $258.4 billion as of September 2026, as demand for AI servers lifted Dell’s share price. He owns about 40% of Dell Technologies in 2026
From Dorm Room to Dell
As a freshman Dell started selling upgrade kits for personal computers from his dorm room. In January 1984 he saw that selling PCs directly to customers could cut costs, and registered the business as “PC’s Limited”. After earning a gross profit of nearly $200,000 in his first year he dropped out of the University of Texas at age 19.
Going Private and the EMC Deal
- 2013: he led a $24.4 billion management buyout to take Dell Inc. private, the largest of its kind since the Great Recession; it was completed in October 2013
- 2015–2016: Dell announced on October 12, 2015, that it would buy EMC for $67 billion, then the highest-valued tech acquisition in history; it closed on September 7, 2016
- 2018: the company returned to the stock market in December
Sports
In May 2026 he became a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders.
Why It Matters
Dell Technologies makes servers used in AI data centres, and Michael Dell’s large stake means his wealth moves with demand for them.
Net worth figures change daily with share prices. Rankings here follow the Forbes 2026 World’s Billionaires list, with wealth measured on March 1, 2026.
Image: Michael Dell speaking at an Oracle event in 2011. Photo: Oracle PR / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
