Which billionaire is the founder of Dell Technologies?

Michael Dell founded Dell Technologies’ predecessor, Dell Computer Corporation, in 1984 and remains the defining founder of the Dell enterprise.

As a student at the University of Texas at Austin, Dell began assembling and selling IBM-compatible computers from his dormitory room. His central idea was to sell computers directly to customers instead of relying on traditional retail channels. That model allowed the company to customize systems, understand buyers’ needs, and reduce distribution costs.

The business started as PC’s Limited, launched the Turbo PC in 1985, and was renamed Dell Computer Corporation in 1987. It grew rapidly during the personal-computer boom and became the world’s largest PC vendor in 2001. Dell later expanded into servers, storage, networking, and enterprise services.

Strictly speaking, Dell Technologies was created in 2016 through the combination of Dell and EMC. Michael Dell did not found EMC, but he founded Dell and led the transaction that created the larger technology company. That is why he is the canonical answer to this trivia question.