Dell was founded by Michael Dell in 1984 as PCs Limited while he was a student at the University of Texas at Austin. The company pioneered the direct-to-consumer sales model for personal computers, building customized PCs to order and selling directly to customers, bypassing traditional retail channels. This innovative approach allowed Dell to offer competitive pricing and quickly grew the business, establishing a new paradigm in PC sales that disrupted traditional distribution models.
In 1988, the company went public and changed its name to Dell Computer Corporation. Throughout the 1990s, Dell became one of the world's largest PC manufacturers, expanding globally and diversifying into servers, storage, and enterprise solutions. The company's rapid growth and innovative business model made it one of the most successful technology companies of the era.
In 2013, Michael Dell and Silver Lake Partners took Dell private in a $24.4 billion leveraged buyout, allowing the company to focus on long-term transformation away from public market pressures. Dell returned to public markets in 2016 after acquiring EMC Corporation in a landmark $67 billion merger, creating Dell Technologies and expanding the company's portfolio to include enterprise storage, cloud computing, and virtualization through VMware.
Recent years have seen Dell Technologies focus heavily on AI infrastructure, edge computing, and hybrid cloud solutions. The company has established itself as a leader in AI server deployments and enterprise infrastructure, with record AI server orders and shipments driving significant growth. Dell Technologies continues to evolve its business model to address emerging technology trends and customer needs in the digital transformation era.