May 3rd, 1984 – Michael Dell founds the Dell Computer Corporation, originally called “PC’s Limited” from his dorm room at the University of Texas. He was studying at the time to become a doctor according to his parent’s wishes, but he was passionate about PCs and began selling PC disk drives that gave computer owners the ability to customize their memory disks to students at UT. This venture made him $80,000 while still a freshman in college, and he eventually dropped out to pursue it full-time.
In 1988, following an annual growth rate of around 80%, Dell took the company public and used the newly acquired funds to expand its product offerings and global presence, and opened a manufacturing center in Ireland two years later to better serve customers in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The company grew to serve a worldwide audience, and in 2013, Michael Dell bought back the company from public shareholders to focus on key innovations to serve customers’ needs. In 2015, the company reached its highest customer satisfaction rates.
