Play Nice But Win: A CEO's Journey from Founder to Leader

Product Description
WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER From Michael Dell, renowned founder and chief executive of one of America’s largest technology companies, the inside story of the battles that defined him as a leader\nIn 1984, soon-to-be college dropout Michael Dell hid signs of his fledgling PC business in the bathroom of his University of Texas dorm room. Almost 30 years later, at the pinnacle of his success as founder and leader of Dell Technologies, he found himself embroiled in a battle for his company’s survival. What he’d do next could ensure its legacy—or destroy it completely.\nPlay Nice But Win is a riveting account of the three battles waged for Dell Technologies: one to launch it, one to keep it, and one to transform it. For the first time, Dell reveals the highs and lows of the company's evolution amidst a rapidly changing industry—and his own, as he matured into the CEO it needed. With humor and humility, he recalls the mentors who showed him how to turn his passion into a business; the competitors who became friends, foes, or both; and the sharks that circled, looking for weakness. What emerges is the long-term vision underpinning his success: that technology is ultimately about people and their potential.\nMore than an honest portrait of a leader at a crossroads,
Play Nice But Win is a survival story proving that while anyone with technological insight and entrepreneurial zeal might build something great—it takes a leader to build something that lasts.\nReview
“The book is acidly funny, nail-biting and fast-paced. It is also blessed with a villain from central casting: Carl Icahn, activist investor and publicity hound, whose sparring with Mr. Dell gives the story its bite.”\n—The Economist\n“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 hiscollege dorm room. It’s 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. It’s a lesson he learned from his strong parents and shares with his wife in the work of their foundation togive kids better opportunities. The result is a book that is exciting, insightful, and valuable.”
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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. It’s a great gift for those on a similar journey.”
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Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates and author of
Principles: Life and Work\n“
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.”
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Eric Schmidt, cofounder of Schmidt Futures and former CEO and chairman of Google\n“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.”
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Indra Nooyi, former chairman and CEO of PepsiCo and author of
My Life in Full\n“Many people have great business ideas. Entrepreneurs see them through. That’s 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 world’s largest tech companies. It’s a tale of vision and perseverance every aspiring entrepreneur should read.”
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Sir Richard Branson\n“This is Dell Direct. With insightful frankness and humor, Michael Dell tel