fAfter graduating high school, he attended the University of Texas at Austin intending to become a physician. While at the university, he started a computer company called PC's Limited [sic] in his room in Dobie Center.[1]

The company became successful enough that, with the help of an additional loan from his grandparents, Dell dropped out of college at the age of 19 to run the business full-time. In 1987, PC's Limited changed its name to Dell Computer Corporation. Over time, and despite a number of setbacks (including laptops that caught on fire in 1993, temporarily losing the consumer market to Gateway in the mid 1990's, and others), Dell survived to become the most profitable PC manufacturer in the world, with sales of US$ 49 billion and profits of US$ 3 billion in 2004. In 2003, shareholders voted to rename the corporation Dell, Inc., in order to acknowledge Dell's prospective and ongoing product line expansion.

On March 4, 2004, he stepped down as CEO of Dell but stayed as chairman of the board, while Kevin Rollins, then president and COO, became president and CEO.

Accolades for Dell include: "Entrepreneur of the Year" from Inc. magazine; "Man of the Year" from PC Magazine; "Top CEO in American Business" from Worth Magazine; "CEO of the Year" from Financial World and Industry Week magazines.

In the 2005 publication of the Forbes 400, Dell was listed as the 4th richest man in the United States and the 18th richest in the world with net assets of around US$ 18 billion. Dell resides in Austin, Texas with his wife, Susan, and their four children. Dell reportedly owns the 15th largest home in the world, worth an estimated US$18.7 million.

Philanthropy

On 15 May 2006 The University of Texas at Austin announced a US$50 million grant from the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation to "bring excellence in children's health and education to Austin". The grant will enable the construction of 3 new facilities at the university. The first is the Dell Pediatric Research Institute which is expected to complement the new Dell Children's Medical Center nearby. The second is a new computer science building on the UT campus named Dell Computer Science Hall. The third is the Michael and Susan Dell Center for Advancement of Healthy Living, which is intended to address issues that affect healthy childhood development.