Michael Dell - Play Nice But Win: A CEOs Journey from Founder to Leader

In this super-candid book filled with revealing stories, Michael Dell shows how his development as a person was tightly intertwined with building the company he founded in his college dorm room. Its a fast-paced tale of launching a public company, taking it private, and then taking it public again, all while wrestling with colorful characters such as Carl Icahn. Dell provides a wealth of business insights but also something more important: how curiosity and good values are essential to success both in life and in business. Its a lesson he learned from his strong parents and shares with his wife in the work of their foundation to give kids better opportunities. The result is a book that is exciting, insightful, and valuable.

Walter Isaacson, bestselling author of The Code Breaker

Michael Dell takes you into the real world of building and transforming an empire, vividly describing conversations and deals with key players so you see the whole picture. Its a great gift for those on a similar journey.

Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates and author of Principles: Life and Work

Play Nice But Win is exactly right. Exceptional entrepreneurs like Michael Dell have changed the world under great pressure, but with great success. Michael tells you how to be successful and true to your values in this awe-inspiring narrative of what it takes.

Eric Schmidt, cofounder of Schmidt Futures and former CEO and chairman of Google

Michael Dell is the rare leader who set his company on a successful long-term direction by balancing innovative strategy with consistent values. In Play Nice But Win, he reminds us that courage and conviction are the key to transformative change in any organization.

Indra Nooyi, former chairman and CEO of PepsiCo and author of My Life in Full

Many people have great business ideas. Entrepreneurs see them through. Thats the story of Michael Dell, whose book takes us on a riveting journey from the dorm room at the University of Texas to the boardroom of one of the worlds largest tech companies. Its a tale of vision and perseverance every aspiring entrepreneur should read.

Sir Richard Branson

This is Dell Direct. With insightful frankness and humor, Michael Dell tells his story, that of his iconic company and the grit required to compete in the ever-growing technology industry. This is a book for entrepreneurs, leaders, and dreamers.

Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft

Michael Dells journey is part of the historic fabric of American business. His story of multiple transformations through the decades has insights for leaders at every stage, from entrepreneur to CEO.

Howard Schultz, cofounder of the Schultz Family Foundation, former chairman and CEO of Starbucks

With rare candor and insight, Michael shares his incredible journey as founder and CEO of one of the most iconic and admired tech companies. Its the unvarnished story of one of the worlds greatest entrepreneurs, a visionary with unparalleled determination and a commitment to leading with compassion and integrity.

Marc Benioff, chair and CEO of Salesforce

As Michael Dell likes to say, life is about taking a punch, falling down, getting back up, and fighting again. Play Nice But Win is as much a story about resilience as it is about business. Michael is candid about the setbacks and challenges hes faced in his life and career. The lessons hes learned along the way are important for everyone who aspires to lead.

Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook and author of Lean In and Option B

Play Nice But Win is an autobiographical thriller, and Michael Dell is the gangster protagonistnever looking for a fight, but relishing every brawl once hes in it. By outwitting tyrants, takeovers, and dead ends, Michael relentlessly protects, transforms, and expands the product he tinkered with as a teenager into the multinational company Dell is today. Michael consistently wins not by exposing loopholes but always by making advantage of the rules. Play Nice But Win is a magic trick, and one hell of a caped crusader coup.

Matthew McConaughey, Academy Award winner, bestselling author of Greenlights

Play Nice But Win belongs on the list of great digital-age memoirs. The quietest of the entrepreneurs who created the modern computer business finally tells his story.

Malcolm Gladwell, host of the podcast Revisionist History

This is the saga of how one of the great founders of our time launched his company, grew it, got it back, and rejuvenated it. Michael Dells entrepreneurial spirit is infectious, and his behind-the-scenes stories are full of important lessons about leadership, collaboration, competition, and innovation.

Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and host of the TED podcast WorkLife

In his new book, Play Nice But Win, Michael Dell provides a powerful portrait of his lifethe early years, the obstacles and challenges, the successes and triumphs. Thoughtful and revealing, it shares an inside look at what it takes to become a good leaderand more important, a good human being.

Jamie Dimon, chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase

This book is an incredible window into what its like to be in a founders shoes, and the difficult work of growing a company. Michael Dell is not only an innovator, but a leader, and in Play Nice But Win he shows what it really takes to build the future.

Marc Andreessen, cofounder of Netscape and Andreessen Horowitz

Michael walks you through every step of his journey, from starting a company in his college dorm to pulling off the largest all-tech acquisition in history. Anyone whos interested in business at any level can learn from the insights in this book.

Bill Gates

Portfolio / Penguin

An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

penguinrandomhouse.com

Copyright 2021 by Michael Dell

Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.

Insert photo credits: photo Larry KolvoordUSA Today Network, ; all other photos courtesy of the author and Dell Technologies

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Dell, Michael, 1965 author.

Title: Play nice But win : a CEOs journey from founder to leader / Michael Dell.

Description: New York : Portfolio, [2021] |

Identifiers: LCCN 2021016697 (print) | LCCN 2021016698 (ebook) | ISBN 9780593087749 (hardcover) | ISBN 9780593087756 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Leadership. | Chief executive officers. | Entrepreneurship.

Classification: LCC HD57.7 .D486 2021 (print) | LCC HD57.7 (ebook) | DDC 658.4/092dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021016697