Michael Dell, Dell Technologies

**David Senra** (0:02)
I want to jump right into what we were talking about before we started recording. You said somebody was, you've been obsessed, you've been running Dell for 41 years. You've been obsessed really since you were like 11 or 12, so you've been running it for 50 years because there was a Dell before a Dell, right? But you were saying somebody was telling you the story about you in middle school.

**Michael Dell** (0:18)
When I was in junior high school in the summers in Houston, there were classes at Rice University for young kids, okay? And so you could go to Rice University, take these classes, and my mom kind of signed me up, and it was great. They had these college professors, and they were teaching these classes.
And the way I would get to Rice University is I would take the bus from our house, right? And it would like take you downtown. And I was curious, so I was like, okay, if I just stay on the bus, it takes me all the way downtown to where the really tall buildings are. So I go down there, it's like really tall buildings, I'm like roaming around, I'm like 11 or 12 years old. And I see like they've got like the stock exchange there, and all these tickers going. I'm like, wow, that's pretty cool. So I just started learning about the stock market. So anyway, it's just something I remembered. And my parents were always talking about financial markets and it just sparked sort of this interest really early in life.

**David Senra** (1:37)
There's a great line I've seen from both Ken Griffin and Larry Ellison describing you. They're like, this guy was manufacturing computers in America at a time when there was like thousands of other people doing the exact, very similar thing. And he was the only one that survived. And the reason I just thought about that is because I was watching this talk that Ken gave, I think at Yale. And he says something, he's like, for reasons I can't explain. I don't know why. I've just been obsessed with the stock market, with business. Since I was in the third grade, and 60 years later, however old he is, that obsession has not dulled. We were just in your office and you were showing me one of your new unreleased products that we can't film or photograph. But you were like, I was like, this is like a kid on Christmas. Like you're still...

**Michael Dell** (2:25)
A super cool product. Yeah, I'm very excited.

**David Senra** (2:28)
I told you I'll buy one. I think it's cool too. I'm going to buy one as soon as it comes out. But I just love this enthusiasm that is just not dulling. What do you think? I was just with your son, Zach, last night. And we were talking a lot about his business, he's absolutely ripping, he's super intense and he's just in it right now, right? And then it was like 95% of our conversation. And he's like, all right, I have some things that you should talk to my dad about. And then it was so good, I was like, shit, he just did the outline better than me. So one of the things he's like, you need to get on record what motivates him. He's like, it's one of the most fascinating things. He's like, just ask him what motivates him. So what motivates you?

**Michael Dell** (3:07)
You know, it's all just like fun and interesting, and I want to learn. And it's like a big puzzle to solve and understand. And you think about the impact that technology has on the world, what could be more exciting than to be in the middle of that? And to figure it out and to help advance it. And it's an infinite game, right? It never ends. Love to win, hate to lose.
And yeah, it's just like the most exciting thing you could do, to be in the middle of a business like this and to see it all unfold and play out.

**David Senra** (3:56)
Yeah, that's one of the things he's like, he's addicted to puzzles. So, that's the way you look at it?

**Michael Dell** (4:02)
Yeah, I mean, it's like the curiosity, solving a puzzle, understanding things, and figuring it out. Yeah, that's, you always want to do that. I mean, I would feel unfulfilled if I couldn't figure out a puzzle, a question. So, yeah, there's like a burning desire to understand things and to figure them out. Puzzles and math have always been important.

**David Senra** (4:33)
When did you realize that about yourself?

**Michael Dell** (4:34)