One of the most successful executives in the highly competitive personal computer industry, American businessman Michael Dell (born 1965) has shepherded his company--Dell Computer Corporation--from an idea hatched in his college dorm room in 1984 into one of the world's largest PC manufacturers. The company, launched by Dell with an initial investment of only $1,000, has generated revenue of tens of billions of dollars since its creation. The company has prospered while adhering to Dell's original concept of selling computers directly to its customers and avoiding middleman markups in order to keep costs down. Along the way, Dell has expanded its product line to include not only personal computers but network servers, storage systems, handheld computers, and a wide array of computer services as well.

Dell, who dropped out of college at the age of 19 to pursue his dream of a direct-sales PC empire, had a net wealth hovering around $20 billion...