Michael Dell’s wealth falls most ever as sales disappoint

MICHAEL Dell’s wealth tumbled the most in a single day after the computer company he founded posted results that disappointed investors.

Dell’s net worth dropped US$11.7 billion to US$107.1 billion on Friday (May 29) as shares of Dell Technologies fell 18 per cent in New York – the most on record. 

While the company reported its first quarterly revenue increase in two years, it was not enough to impress investors with high expectations for its artificial intelligence (AI) server business.

Almost half of Dell’s fortune comes from the Texas-based computer maker, which he started 40 years ago while a student at the University of Texas. Another major source of his net worth comes from his stake in Broadcom, whose shares also slid on Friday. 

Dell, 59, the company’s chairman and chief executive officer, ranks 13th on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. In early March, he joined the small group of people with fortunes exceeding US$100 billion as surging demand for equipment assisting artificial intelligence computing sent Dell shares to a record high. The stock has tripled in the past 12 months.

Other tech billionaires have also seen their wealth skyrocket amid the blistering rally in AI-related stocks. 

SEE ALSO

Dell shares tumble as weak margin forecast clouds upbeat quarter

Dell deepens AI push with new PCs, Nvidia-powered servers

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Nvidia co-founder Jensen Huang’s net worth briefly surpassed US$100 billion earlier this week after another blowout quarter from the chipmaker. He currently sits in 16th place on Bloomberg’s wealth list with US$96.3 billion.

Large corporations increasingly need high-powered servers to train and run demanding generative AI tasks, which are sold by Dell and a few other companies. BLOOMBERG