And Dell owns the Internet--it has by far the biggest presence as a direct online seller of PCs.
Dell was selling $1 million per day over the Net in 1996, when some PC makers were still trying
to get basic Web sites up and running. By 1998, Dell's online sales were $14 million per day,
and the company had increasing sales and profits during a year that was flat or slightly worse
for most of Dell's competitors.
戴爾也擁有互聯網－作為PC直接在線銷售商來說，它擁有最大的現場市場。1996年，戴爾每天在網上的銷
售額達一百萬美元，而在這時，一些PC制造商仍在努力建立站點和剛剛開始運營。到1998年為止，戴爾的網上
銷售額達到每天一千四百萬美元，在這一年中，公司的銷售額和利潤持續增長，但戴爾的大多數競爭者的銷售
額要么保持水平，要么輕度下滑。
Somewhere along the way, Michael Dell turned big rich--about $13 billion worth of rich. The
guy who didn't think the company could afford a corporate jet was suddenly putting $1 billion
into a private high-tech venture fund called MSD Capital. The kid who started a company in his
dorm room was building a $22 million estate on a hilltop outside Austin. True, it's not as
expensive as Bill Gates's $60 million digs, but around Austin it takes a major effort at
conspicuous consumption to spend even $22 million.
在他的人生路程中的某處，邁克爾·戴爾變成了富翁－他的財產大概有130億美元。戴爾曾認為公司無法
擔負得起一架噴氣式飛機的費用，但他突然對一個私人的高技術風險基金投資了10億美元，稱作MSD資金。這
個在宿舍里開始經營公司的小伙子對奧斯汀市外山頂上的地產投資了二千二百萬美元來建造房屋。事實上，雖
然這并不象比爾·蓋茨價值六千萬美元的寓所那么昂貴，但在奧斯汀附近，將近二千二百萬美元的大筆花費確
實需要人下定很大的決心。
Dell wrote a management book (Direct from Dell) with Andy Grove's co-author, then went on a
book tour. This was the same guy who turned down an appearance on my PBS-TV miniseries Triumph
of the Nerds because his PR people claimed he was "too shy."
戴爾和合著者安迪·格羅夫寫了一本管理書籍（由戴爾直接編寫），然后就進行了一場巡回售書活動。因
為他的PR人聲稱他實在"太怕羞了。"，而這個人就曾在我的PBS-TV電視連續短劇－小人物的勝利－中扮演過某
個角色。
"For all the money, Michael really hasn't changed at all," claims a longtime Dell employee.
"He's still trying to think of new ways to make the business run even better. Our new Gigabuys
section on the Web site, which sells software and accessories not made by Dell, is an example of
just that. Michael was knocking around on the Web site in the middle of the night and found
there were things he wanted to buy but couldn't. Now we have Gigabuys."
"對于錢，邁克爾從未改變過什么看法，"一個戴爾的長期雇員聲稱。"他一直努力嘗試使企業更好運營的新
途徑。我們有關網站的新Gigabuys部門銷售并非由戴爾制造的軟件和附件，這就是一個好例子。邁克爾以前常
在半夜訪問各個站點，并發現那里有許多他想買但買不到的東西。但是現在，我們有了Gigabuys。"
Among Dell executives, this is a good example of what's called "Michaelmanaging"--Michael
Dell's fascination with the minute details of running his business. For 15 years he has set a
work ethic for the company and demanded that the rest of the company meet it. Those who don't
are asked to leave. Those who do may eventually join the "Dellionaires"--fully vested employees,
often in their 30s, often early retirees. Austin is filled with Dellionaires, though the biggest
of them all--Dell himself--has no plans to retire. Like Bill Gates and unlike almost everyone
else in the industry, Dell really likes what he does for a living. And at 34, with a greater net
worth than Gates had at the same age, Dell looks to be a force for decades to come.
在戴爾的經理之中，有一個有關何被稱作"Michaelmanaged"的好例證－邁克爾·戴爾對他公司運營中的一
些瑣碎事件非常感興趣。15年來，他為公司建立起一整套工作守則，并要求公司的所有其余人員都必須遵守。
那些沒有被要求離開，那些最終參?quot;Dellionaires"的人－已得到完全任命的雇員，大多數在30歲左右，
經常是早早退休的人員。奧斯汀有很多"Dellionaires"，雖然他們當中的絕大部分－包括戴爾自己－并沒有退
休的計劃。和比爾·蓋茨相似，但與這個行業中的其它人不同的是，戴爾真正喜歡他為謀生所做的工作。在
34歲時，戴爾就獲得了比蓋茨在同樣的年齡所擁有的更大的網絡價值，看上去他將成為未來的幾十年中的中堅
力量。
（未完待續）
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