Dell's 29-year history - FT.com A group of investors including Michael Dell have announced a deal worth $24.4bn to take private the computer manufacturer he founded in 1984. When it entered the Fortune 500 in 1992, Mr Dell was the youngest-ever chief executive of a constituent company, but more recently the group has seen its fortunes wane in the face of increased competition and the growth of tablet computing. Track the milestones in the 29-year history of the world's third-largest PC maker by shipments with this timeline.