Michael Dell: Repairing a legacy?
The billionaire roped in private equity house Silver Lake and Microsoft Corp, to take his 28-year-old company private for $24.4 billion in the second-largest buyout in technology history.
In Tuesday's announcement, Dell - who once upbraided Apple Inc co-founder's Steve Jobs for trying to rescue the Mac-maker - enthused about the "exciting new chapter" his company was embarking upon.
While those investors and Dell himself have said little on the subject, some analysts believe the brash, combative Texan native, having once propelled his company from a college dorm-room project to the pinnacle of the personal computing world, may be itching to repair his reputation as a visionary CEO.
In the years since he returned in 2007 to re-take the reins at Dell Inc, the company has bled market share to the likes of Hewlett-Packard and Lenovo and is now fighting to stem a steep decline in PC sales.
"Michael Dell is once again hungry. Thirty years ago, we think he hungered for success and wealth. In 2013, we think he hungers to restore his legacy and personal balance sheet," said Cindy Shaw, a managing director and research analyst at investment advisory firm Discern Inc.
"Today, he has the advantages of a global footprint, brand name recognition and connections."
Dell was upheld as a model of innovation
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