The AI boom has pushed Michael Dell past Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, leaving the Dell Technologies chief as the world's third-richest person.
Here's what to know
As reported by USA Today, Forbes' real-time billionaire rankings placed only Tesla CEO Elon Musk at $942 billion and Alphabet co-founder Larry Page at $277.9 billion ahead of Michael Dell.
Dell, the founder and CEO of Dell Technologies, was estimated at $267.7 billion, just above Amazon founder Jeff Bezos at $265.2 billion.
A fresh rise in Dell Technologies stock helped drive the change. The shares finished at a record $533.88, up 1.9%, after reaching $538.47 during the session.
The stock was around $128 at the beginning of 2026 and has surged 327%.
Dell's wealth comes largely from his roughly 40% stake in the company, while DFO Management — his private investment firm — makes up another substantial portion of his fortune.
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The stock's gains have already lifted him ahead of other tech billionaires, including Meta co-founder Mark Zuckerberg and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison.
More background
Much of Dell's rise stems from Dell Technologies' position in one of the fastest-growing parts of tech: hardware for AI systems.
With companies racing to add more computing power, demand for servers and related equipment has jumped.
In the second quarter, Dell Technologies posted $47 billion in revenue, up 58%. Adjusted earnings came to $7.04 per share.
The company's AI server business was a key contributor. That segment produced $16.4 billion in revenue and logged a record $60.9 billion in orders. Those results led Dell Technologies to increase its full-year revenue guidance by $25 billion, and the company now expects $192 billion in annual revenue.
What's being done?
At the company level, Dell Technologies is doing what many AI-tied firms are doing: pushing further into the infrastructure side of the boom.
The earnings suggest businesses are still spending heavily on the servers needed to run AI tools.
Dell's climb past Bezos is one of the clearest signs yet that AI is redrawing the wealth map at breathtaking speed.
Where can I learn more?
Dell's move past Jeff Bezos is another sign of how quickly the AI boom is reshaping tech wealth and strategy. It's playing out elsewhere, too — from Bezos-backed climate work to Meta's push for more AI talent and computing power.
• Jeff Bezos is backing AI innovation for climate through an Earth Fund nature grant.
• At Meta, Mark Zuckerberg takes a major leap by expanding AI services to more businesses.
• Across Silicon Valley, CEOs say billion-dollar pay packages are intensifying Meta's AI talent war.
The same AI wave is showing up in company valuations, hiring fights, and new investment bets. Viewed alongside those shifts, Dell's rapid rise makes a lot more sense.
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