November 21, 2003

Cnet: Michael Dell, the chairman and CEO of namesake Dell, certainly knows how to fit his image to his company.

Dell, the computer maker, is known as an execution marvel, which turned the lowly distribution channel into a key source of competitive advantage. Dell, the man, delivers the vision with admirable dispatch, carefully stripped down to essentials.

But Dell--man or company--is not one to take on the lofty goal of remaking the technology industry by introducing radical new ideas, a la Steve Jobs. Rather, Dell is content to engineer changes that customers want, making computers and systems that are more cost-effective.

In a roundtable discussion with CNET News.com's Editorial Board, the 38-year-old Dell, who has led his company since its founding in 1984, was tight-lipped about naming management gurus or companies he aspires to emulate. He was far more comfortable talking about Dell's strategic moves into new markets and his disdain for competitors' grandiose visions of things such as utility computing. (full story)

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