Play Nice But Win - Michael Dell

[dwy000]

I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed this book.  It's part biography and part insider details of the take private transaction back in 2014.  I originally bought it thinking it would be a rah-rah, run of the mill biography about how he overcame diversity through hard work and his own greatness, yada yada yada.  But I don't think I've read a business biography since Snowball that was staying up late to read and couldn't put down.  Dell's back and forth with Carl Icahn is worth the price in itself.  He doesn't hold back about his views on Icahn right down to his wife's cooking.

 

I'd heard about his dorm room days starting Dell but I didn't realize how entrepreneurial he was from early teen years and this was despite being raised rich and against his parent's wishes.

 

Anyways, it's a great read and pretty good insight into the person as well.  Highly recommend.

[boilermaker75]

The title screams fiction.

[Morgan]

6 hours ago, dwy000 said:

I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed this book.  It's part biography and part insider details of the take private transaction back in 2014.  I originally bought it thinking it would be a rah-rah, run of the mill biography about how he overcame diversity through hard work and his own greatness, yada yada yada.  But I don't think I've read a business biography since Snowball that was staying up late to read and couldn't put down.  Dell's back and forth with Carl Icahn is worth the price in itself.  He doesn't hold back about his views on Icahn right down to his wife's cooking.

 

I'd heard about his dorm room days starting Dell but I didn't realize how entrepreneurial he was from early teen years and this was despite being raised rich and against his parent's wishes.

 

Anyways, it's a great read and pretty good insight into the person as well.  Highly recommend.

 

Agreed. I couldn't put the book down either. He really was a special young entrepreneur. Very, very few people are able to build a business like he did, particularly so young. Dell Computers was really innovating on the hardware side to lower costs and provide better machines. It's not surprising they've become so big. 

 

Hiding the computers in his neighbors dorm when his parents visited? Classic! lol!

 

He really talked some shit on Icahn! Lol! The remarks on Icahn's wife were over the line, but Carl Icahn is fair game. 

 

That being said, taking Dell private was pretty harsh on the small shareholders. 

[Guest]

18 hours ago, Morgan said:

That being said, taking Dell private was pretty harsh on the small shareholders. 

 

By "harsh" do you mean "nice"? Per Dell, he wins but is nice about it. Forcing people to go against their will is nice.