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(lián)網(wǎng)－作為PC直接在線銷售商來說，它擁有最大的現(xiàn)場(chǎng)市場(chǎng)。1996年，戴爾每天在網(wǎng)上的銷
售額達(dá)一百萬美元，而在這時(shí)，一些PC制造商仍在努力建立站點(diǎn)和剛剛開始運(yùn)營(yíng)。到1998年為止，戴爾的網(wǎng)上
銷售額達(dá)到每天一千四百萬美元，在這一年中，公司的銷售額和利潤(rùn)持續(xù)增長(zhǎng)，但戴爾的大多數(shù)競(jìng)爭(zhēng)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(cái)產(chǎn)大概有130億美元。戴爾曾認(rèn)為公司無法
擔(dān)負(fù)得起一架噴氣式飛機(jī)的費(fèi)用，但他突然對(duì)一個(gè)私人的高技術(shù)風(fēng)險(xiǎn)基金投資了10億美元，稱作MSD資金。這
個(gè)在宿舍里開始經(jīng)營(yíng)公司的小伙子對(duì)奧斯汀市外山頂上的地產(chǎn)投資了二千二百萬美元來建造房屋。事實(shí)上，雖
然這并不象比爾·蓋茨價(jià)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(fèi)確
實(shí)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?qū)懥艘槐竟芾頃ㄓ纱鳡栔苯泳帉懀�，然后就進(jìn)行了一場(chǎng)巡回售書活動(dòng)。因
為他的PR人聲稱他實(shí)在"太怕羞了。"，而這個(gè)人就曾在我的PBS-TV電視連續(xù)短�。∪宋锏膭倮邪缪葸^某
個(gè)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(duì)于錢，邁克爾從未改變過什么看法，"一個(gè)戴爾的長(zhǎng)期雇員聲稱。"他一直努力嘗試使企業(yè)更好運(yùn)營(yíng)的新
途徑。我們有關(guān)網(wǎng)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(gè)好例子。邁克爾以前常
在半夜訪問各個(gè)站點(diǎn)，并發(fā)現(xiàn)那里有許多他想買但買不到的東西。但是現(xiàn)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(jīng)理之中，有一個(gè)有關(guān)何被稱作"Michaelmanaged"的好例證－邁克爾·戴爾對(duì)他公司運(yùn)營(yíng)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(shù)在30歲左右，
經(jīng)常是早早退休的人員。奧斯汀有很多"Dellionaires"，雖然他們當(dāng)中的絕大部分－包括戴爾自己－并沒有退
休的計(jì)劃。和比爾·蓋茨相似，但與這個(gè)行業(yè)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(shí)，戴爾就獲得了比蓋茨在同樣的年齡所擁有的更大的網(wǎng)絡(luò)價(jià)值，看上去他將成為未來的幾十年中的中堅(jiān)
力量。
（未完待續(xù)）
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