Dell's Michael Dell overtakes Amazon's Jeff Bezos to become world's third-richest person for the first time
Dell Technologies founder Michael Dell has become the world's third-richest person after adding nearly $127 billion to his fortune this year as his company's shares extend a months-long rally.
Dell added $4.6 billion to his wealth on Tuesday as shares of the computer maker rose 1.9% to a record closing high of $533.88, according to Forbes.
His net worth reached $267.7 billion, placing him behind only Google co-founder Larry Page, worth $277.9 billion, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, whose fortune stood at $942 billion.
Bezos slipped to fourth with $265.2 billion after losing $1.4 billion as Amazon shares fell 0.6%.
Dell began 2026 with an estimated fortune of $141 billion and ranked 13th globally. His wealth has since increased by $126.7 billion, or nearly 90%. Much of his wealth is held through his private investment firm DFO Management, which invests in assets including hotels and corporate credit.
The surge has been driven largely by Dell Technologies, in which he owns about 40%. The company's shares have soared 327% since the beginning of the year amid booming demand for computing infrastructure used to develop and run artificial intelligence systems.
Dell, 61, has passed several of the technology industry's wealthiest figures during his rise through the billionaire rankings. In recent months, he overtook Meta co-founder Mark Zuckerberg and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison before moving past Bezos.
He founded his computer business in 1984 at age 19 with $1,000 while studying at the University of Texas at Austin. He later dropped out of college to focus on the company, which grew from a dorm-room startup into one of the world's largest technology companies.
He recently reflected on those beginnings on X, sharing a 1984 quarterly earnings report that he said convinced his parents to let him leave college and focus on the business.
