'I was fifteen and riveted': What Steve Jobs said that hooked a young Michael Dell
This article explores the early influence of Steve Jobs on Michael Dell, detailing a 1980 meeting that inspired the future founder of Dell. It highlights how Dell's curiosity about the Apple II hardware shaped his approach to the personal computer industry.
Why it matters
Understanding the formative experiences of tech titans provides insight into the evolution of the PC industry and the competitive dynamics between Apple and Dell.
Long before Dell became a byword for beige office towers and before Apple became the most valuable company on earth, a fifteen-year-old boy sat in a Houston meeting room and watched a 25-year-old Steve Jobs walk in. The year was 1980. The boy was Michael Dell, four years away from starting a PC business out of a University of Texas dorm room with a thousand dollars and three guys with screwdrivers.In his memoir Play Nice But Win: A CEO's Journey from Founder to Leader, Dell writes that Jobs in person was far more compelling than Jobs in print, and that when he entered the room it felt as though the waters parted.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in