Michael Dell is the founder, chairman, and CEO of Dell Technologies, one of the world's largest technology infrastructure companies. Michael Dell's net worth is estimated at about $263 billion by Forbes' 2026 Forbes 400 list (estimates as of September 4, 2026), which ranks him as the fourth-richest person in America. Forbes' real-time billionaires tracker recently placed him as high as roughly $274 billion globally, fueled by a surge in Dell Technologies stock on booming demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure. Dell started his company in 1984 at age 19 with just $1,000 from his dorm room at the University of Texas at Austin, and he remains one of the most remarkable self-made fortunes in modern business history.
Quick Facts
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Michael Saul Dell |
| Born | February 23, 1965 |
| Age | 61 |
| Birthplace | Houston, Texas, United States |
| Occupation | Businessman, investor, philanthropist |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | Not publicly disclosed |
| Spouse/Partner | Susan Lynn Lieberman (married 1989) |
| Children | 4 (Alexa, Zachary, Juliette, Kira) |
| Estimated Net Worth | ~$263 billion (Forbes, 2026 Forbes 400) |
Early Life and Career
Michael Saul Dell was born on February 23, 1965, in Houston, Texas, to a Jewish family. His father, Alexander Dell, was an orthodontist, and his mother, Lorraine Charlotte (née Langfan), was a stockbroker. Dell attended Herod Elementary School and Memorial High School in Houston. Even as a child he showed an entrepreneurial streak: at age eight he applied to take a high school equivalency exam so he could start business early, and in his early teens he invested earnings from part-time jobs in stocks and precious metals.
At 15, Dell got his first computer, an Apple II, which he immediately disassembled to understand how it worked. That same year he started his first business selling Houston Post newspaper subscriptions door-to-door, learning to target specific neighborhoods rather than cold-calling — and earning about $18,000 in a single summer.
In 1983, Dell enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin as a pre-med student, hoping to become a doctor. But computers pulled him in another direction. In 1984, at age 19, he invested $1,000 of his savings to launch PCs Limited from his off-campus apartment, assembling and selling custom PCs directly to customers. By the second semester of his freshman year he had sold $80,000 worth of computers. Dell dropped out of college to run the business full-time.
The company was renamed Dell Computer Corporation in 1987 and went public in 1988. Dell's direct-to-customer model — no finished-goods inventories, built-to-order machines sold without retail middlemen — revolutionized the PC industry. In 1992, at just 27, he became the youngest CEO in Fortune 500 history.
Dell stepped down as CEO in 2004 but returned in 2007. In 2013, he led a $24.4 billion buyout to take Dell Inc. private — the biggest management buyout since the Great Recession — then took the company public again in December 2018 as Dell Technologies. The 2016 acquisition of EMC for $67 billion created Dell Technologies, one of the world's largest technology infrastructure companies. Today Dell serves as its founder, chairman, and CEO, holding roughly a 40 percent stake in the company, and he also runs MSD Capital, a private investment firm now known as DFO Management.
Dell's journey from a Texas dorm room to the top of the billionaire ranks mirrors the scale of fellow tech titans — Forbes' 2026 Forbes 400 places him fourth among Americans, just behind Amazon's Jeff Bezos, while Elon Musk tops the list as the world's richest person with an estimated $908 billion.
Personal Life
Michael Dell has been married to Susan Lynn Lieberman since 1989, a marriage now in its fourth decade. The couple lives in Austin, Texas, and has four children: daughters Alexa, Juliette, and Kira, and son Zachary (Zach) Dell.
Dell keeps his private life largely out of the spotlight, but the couple's philanthropy is extensive. Through the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, they have donated billions to causes including education, children's health, and disaster relief. Their foundation is one of the largest private family foundations in the world.
In May 2026, Dell expanded beyond technology into sports ownership, becoming a minority owner of the NFL's Las Vegas Raiders — joining a franchise already partly owned by NFL legend Tom Brady, who was approved as a minority stakeholder in 2024.
Net Worth
Michael Dell's fortune has grown at a historic pace. Per Forbes' 2026 Forbes 400, published with estimates as of September 4, 2026, his net worth is about $263 billion, making him the fourth-richest person in America and one of the richest people on Earth. Bloomberg's Billionaires Index has recently placed him fifth in the world with roughly $245 billion, while Forbes' real-time tracker has valued him as high as approximately $274 billion.
His wealth surged dramatically in 2026. He began the year ranked 13th globally with an estimated $141 billion fortune; by autumn his wealth had grown by nearly 90 percent — an addition of about $126.7 billion — as Dell Technologies stock soared more than 300 percent year-to-date on demand for AI computing infrastructure. In September 2026, Dell briefly passed Jeff Bezos to become the world's third-richest person, with his $267.7 billion fortune topping the Amazon founder's $265.2 billion at the time.
The bulk of his fortune comes from his approximately 40 percent stake in Dell Technologies, with additional wealth managed through his family office, DFO Management, which invests in corporate credit, hotels, and other assets.
FAQs
What is Michael Dell's net worth?
Michael Dell's net worth is estimated at about $263 billion, according to Forbes' 2026 Forbes 400 list (estimates as of September 4, 2026). Forbes' real-time billionaires tracker recently placed him as high as roughly $274 billion, and Bloomberg's Billionaires Index has valued him at about $245 billion. His fortune comes mainly from his roughly 40 percent stake in Dell Technologies.
How old is Michael Dell?
Michael Dell was born on February 23, 1965, in Houston, Texas, which makes him 61 years old. He founded his first computer company, PCs Limited, in 1984 at age 19 while attending the University of Texas at Austin.
Who is Michael Dell's wife?
Michael Dell's wife is Susan Lynn Lieberman, whom he married in 1989. The couple has been married for more than three decades and lives in Austin, Texas. Together they run the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, one of the world's largest private family foundations, focused on education, children's health, and disaster relief.
How did Michael Dell start Dell?
Michael Dell started Dell in 1984 as a 19-year-old student at the University of Texas at Austin, investing $1,000 of his savings to launch PCs Limited from his off-campus apartment. He assembled custom PCs and sold them directly to customers, cutting out retailers. The direct-to-customer model made the business so successful that he dropped out of college to run it full-time; it went public in 1988 as Dell Computer Corporation.
Is Michael Dell still CEO of Dell?
Yes. Michael Dell remains the founder, chairman, and CEO of Dell Technologies. He briefly stepped down as CEO in 2004 but returned in 2007, and he led the company through its 2013 $24.4 billion buyout to go private and its return to the public market in 2018. He holds roughly a 40 percent stake in Dell Technologies.