Talk:Michael Dell

Philanthropy
Does donating money to the inauguration of George Bush really count as Philanthropy?

Jewish?
According to www.israelnewsagency.com/jewisrael194800.html he is Jewish, a lot of Google results come up, with one of the first being his foundation with a lot of Jewish donations, so my guess is he is Jewish, I am adding in that he is, if anyone has any proof he isn't, please show it before changing it.
 * After some looking around Wikipedia the List of Jewish American business figures article seems to claim he is Jewish. 220.233.48.200 07:06, 16 November 2005 (UTC)


 * I'm an old friend of Michaels; I can confirm he's Jewish.

Sorry, your original research is not appreciated. We here at Wikipedia need reliable evidence like a Times article or a Pokemon trading card, not this hearsay from a nobody. 66.108.249.109 00:03, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

Seems to be a whole lot of evidence and sources that he is Jewish. Which one should we use as a reference?

http://www.nndb.com/people/975/000029888/

http://www.seekluck.com/money_masters/dell-computers.htm

http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/michael-dell/

http://www.myviplife.com/lifestories/vipbusiness/Michael_Dell_bi.php?c=4

Since "Jewish" is an adjective not an ethnicity but is used in our modern times to denote someone who practices Judaism. The Ethnicity should be edited. Ginglu (talk) 05:31, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/15376/

He still is processing all he learned from his conversation in Austin, TX with Dell Computer founder Michael Dell. "I was impressed that he cared so deeply about the Jewish community," he commented, awed that one of the world's wealthiest businessmen was so down to earth.

"Michael Dell spoke to us about the importance of acknowledging that within each of us is a Jewish soul and it is important for us to determine how we want to direct our Jewish passions to best make an impact." He looks forward to traveling to New York next month for the next session in this four-part lunch series featuring Edgar Bronfman and his son Adam.

http://www.msdf.org/About_Us/Board_of_Directors.aspx

http://www.statesman.com/business/content/business/stories/archive/0502dell.html Another hint: his middle name is Saul. Obviously, personal experience is insufficient, but how many non-Jewish Saul's do you know? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.70.199.122 (talk) 04:05, 21 October 2010 (UTC)


 * I hate this obsession with who is Jewish in wikipedia. You realize the Mormons will convert you as soon as you die, right? let's obsess over who is Mormon. 68.174.97.122 (talk) 02:45, 22 August 2012 (UTC)

Dorm room?
i know the room that michael dell stayed at to start his buisness. it was 3f east side campus it was a fabulous time to see the room it is now part of history!

Donations
Dell has made tons of donations in Austin area. Can someone add the donations that he has made? Also, he always has his name added to the building that he donates. Like the "Michael Dell Jewish Community Center", etc. Thanks! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.112.178.64 (talk) 22:57, 14 February 2008 (UTC)

PC's Limited?
I've changed this to PCs Limited, since that's the grammatically correct way to spell it. However, if this is literally what he called it, please change it to "PC's Limited (sic)". s p l i n t a x  (talk) 13:39, 6 November 2005 (UTC)

Ithink it shoule be PC's Limited. Though the apostrophe is technically incorrect, it's a proper name, so all bets are off. Here is a photo of an old PC's Limited keyboard. (This is the keyboard I still use to this day.) As you can see, he put the apostrophe in PC's Limited. Ringzero

Image:pcslimited.gif Ballmer, Steve ef west side campus

Stepped Down ?
why did Dell step down for the other guy to be the CEO ?

Dobie Center
Additional references for the name of the dorm where Dell founded his company can be found at Talk:Jester Center. Johntex\talk 16:40, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

Children?
Other places on private databases say Dell has only two children. Can we have a Citation on that? 24.23.115.17 03:20, 1 December 2006 (UTC)

What is Michael Dell's full name?
Is it Michael Saul Dell or Michael Seth Dell? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 59.93.68.239 (talk) 01:27, 2 February 2007 (UTC).
 * Michael Saul Dell. I found a source and cited it in the article. &mdash;midg3t 04:22, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

Merge Dell's personal comments?
An anonymous user (131.123.228.92) has suggested that Dell's personal comments about Apple should be merged to the main Dell page. I don't personally see why these comments should be merged. I also don't see a discussion or proposal from the user why they should be either. Any objections to removing the proposal? Mrand 13:16, 6 May 2007 (UTC) Dell 501

Probably not, unless it had existed as a big enough feud (eg. more than a couple crossed words over the course of their rivalry) to warrant a mention as the company as a whole. They have been rivals, monstrous CEO's with gigantic billion-dollar companies under them, so it might be interesting only if it was big enough. But unless so, you're probably right.-70.74.122.87 10:36, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Dead Links
Just append to this post if you find any; I just found one when I was interested in checking out the world's richest people.-70.74.122.87 10:32, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Dead Links (post here)

08152007 - footnote number 9 lead to a page that "does not exist" on the website, perhaps it's been moved or there's another website that offers the same information?

Death (post here)

081522007 - footnote —Preceding unsigned comment added by 205.126.20.160 (talk) 17:58, 17 January 2008 (UTC)

i just want to know how much money did you make on Dell Computer —Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.5.23.226 (talk) 15:31, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

Feud with Apple's Steve Jobs
Feud with Apple's Steve Jobs

Michael Dell had a public war of words with Apple, Inc. CEO Steve Jobs, starting when Jobs first criticized Dell for making "un-innovative beige boxes". On October 6, 1997, when Michael Dell was asked what he would do if he owned then-troubled Apple Computer, he said "I'd shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders."[15] In 2002, Dell's online store started selling Apple's iPod music players[16]. They stopped selling iPods in 2003, due to contract issues between Apple and Dell.[17] On January 13, 2006, Apple's market capitalization surpassed that of Dell [18] and, as of September 2008, now stands at over four times Dell's market cap[18]. As of October, 2008 Apple, with over $25 Billion in cash and zero debt, has more cash than Dell's market capitalization.[19][20]

Most of this block doesn't belong in the Michael Dell page (it's more about the company than him), and this "war of words" looks like a few criticisms by both of them. Compare it to the version on the Steve Jobs page. Sure, Dell was wrong, but Jobs is portrayed a lot better in both. Did anything else happen other than those two remarks? 171.71.36.248 (talk) 17:52, 5 November 2008 (UTC)

Jewish? (part 2)
I'd like to revisit this (from the discussion above.) Should the infobox claim, as it does, "Religion: Jewish"? The question is problematic because "Jewish" can refer to both religion and heritage. I think the latter is beyond question. The former is not, and I'd question it. Keep in mind that this is an article about a living person, so the criteria for inclusion is strict: there must be clear evidence--and I don't see it. Religion is something you practice, or at least proclaim. Prayer, attending temple, belief in God--those would all do it. The references so far don't show that. At best, a reporter has made an assumption. And more tellingly, to my recollection, Dell never discusses his religion in his biography. He doesn't proclaim it. Maybe Dell practices Judaism. Maybe he quietly prefers Buddhism or is an atheist. All are possible, and until we have a convincing source that answers the question (rather than making an inference), I don't think the infobox should hazard a guess. Barte (talk) 14:27, 12 July 2010 (UTC)

I would only comment that by "Jewish tradition" if his mother is Jewish the Jewish community considers him to be be Jewish regardless of practices as long as he has not "converted" to some other religion. Greenbomb101 (talk) 20:14, 29 October 2010 (UTC)


 * But we don't know if Dell has converted to another religion, or to no religion, at all. (The latter is not necessarily a blank that others are free to fill in; it may instead be a conscious stance.) As this is an entry about a living person, the criteria for inclusion is high.  We can't just infer.  OTOH, if someone wants to gather sources describing Dell's involvement in the Jewish community, that, to my mind, would be a legitimate section. Barte (talk) 20:57, 29 October 2010 (UTC)

SIDAGTMBTTS
Shouldn't this (now) famous acronym by Mr. Dell be included in his bio legacy? hydnjo (talk) 03:01, 19 August 2010 (UTC)
 * "Shut It Down and Give the Money Back to the Shareholders" so annoying that everybody should have to go look this up for themselves. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.174.97.122 (talk) 02:50, 22 August 2012 (UTC)
 * An obscure acronym not actually used by the subject of the article with 40 odd google hits? Why?  Kuru   (talk)  03:10, 19 August 2010 (UTC)


 * To provide behavioral insight . hydnjo (talk) 03:23, 19 August 2010 (UTC)
 * What insight is that providing? Is there a pattern of behavior that is critical to this biography? Why do you consider this a "famous" acronym?  Kuru   (talk)  03:34, 19 August 2010 (UTC)


 * I reconsider - it's not "famous" - just commonly attributed to Mr. Dell. Lets leave it out for now. hydnjo (talk) 03:39, 19 August 2010 (UTC)

Net Worth
Dell's Net Worth has DROPPED, not gone up. Therefore, the moderators have been making a mistake. Going to Forbes and looking at dell's profile clearly shows this. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.9.154.132 (talk) 23:46, 8 February 2011 (UTC)
 * There are no moderators here; just fellow editors. It will usually help if you include an edit summary to explain why you made a certain edit, especially when changing "cited" material.  I agree with your assessment - his net worth dropped from 2009 to 2010 and that is what that gain/loss template is supposed to represent.  Kuru   (talk)  01:09, 9 February 2011 (UTC)

Gay?
Is Michael Dell gay? CNBC reports inter alia: "Perhaps the sunshine and surf bring Michael Dell and his partner Egon Durban ..." suggesting Dell & Durban are gay "partners". Or is the American-English usage failing us here (again)? Santamoly (talk) 17:09, 2 August 2013 (UTC)
 * In this context, the article refers to Dell and Durban as business partners, not romantic partners. --RaygunShaun (talk) 21:59, 28 August 2013 (UTC)

Promise ogunomere
I will like to learn more about technology and science Promise ogunomere (talk) 17:45, 20 January 2018 (UTC)

External links modified (January 2018)
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified 2 external links on Michael Dell. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20080403040641/http://es.houstonisd.org/herodes/About_Herod/History_of_Our_school.htm to http://es.houstonisd.org/herodes/About_Herod/History_of_Our_school.htm
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20100531064147/http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/printmember/del0bio-1 to http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/printmember/del0bio-1

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot  (Report bug) 20:47, 24 January 2018 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the. —Community Tech bot (talk) 18:06, 10 December 2018 (UTC)
 * PCs Limited Turbo PC signed by Michael Dell.jpg

NPOV and sourcing concern
I have a broad NPOV concern about this article as it stands right now, but I think the bulk of the problem can be managed with some fairly specific edits. In particular, the Early Life and Education section goes into several details which to me read like marketing material for the biography's subject. I cannot see why the specific details of the subject's business strategies as a teenager are relevant to the subject's notability. This concern is seriously exacerbated by the fact that several of these details are sourced only to the subject's book about himself. I consider this a pretty clear violation of WP:BLPSELFPUB, and in particular point 1 (self-published material can be cited only if it not unduly self-serving), and arguably also point 5 (most of this section is indeed predicated just on the subject's publicly marketed narrative around his own success). Because this is such a specific problem, I'm choosing to note it here and then delete those specific lines which I think clearly violate NPOV, rather than flagging the whole article with a vague NPOV concern. - Astrophobe (talk) 21:22, 23 January 2019 (UTC)

Penalty + Accolades
The Penalty and Accolades sections should exist as subsections within Career, no? Both are tied to his role as CEO of Dell. BelBivDov (talk) 23:55, 4 February 2020 (UTC)

Wealth unclear from reading article
First: "In 2011, his 243.35 million shares of Dell stock were worth $3.5 billion, giving him 12% ownership of the company.[3] His remaining wealth of roughly $10 billion is invested in other companies and is managed by MSD Capital."

Then: " Forbes estimated Dell's net worth at $50.4 billion as of April 2021."

Think the latter should move to the ingress since the difference is great. Unless I'm misunderstanding something here. 2A02:1406:1B:B555:CEE:4321:781A:AF63 (talk) 21:42, 8 August 2023 (UTC)