Michael Dells financial empire in buyout spotlight
Now, Dell is on the verge of making one of the biggest investments of his life. The 47-year-old billionaire and his private equity backers are locked in talks to acquire Dell, the company he started with $1,000 as a teenager three decades ago, in a leveraged buyout worth more than $20 billion. MSD could play a role in the Dell takeover, according to people briefed on the deal.
The private equity firm Silver Lake has been in negotiations to join with Dell on a transaction, along with other potential partners like wealthy Asian investors or foreign funds. Dell would be expected to roll his nearly 16 percent ownership of the company into the buyout, a stake currently valued at about $3.5 billion. He also could contribute additional personal money as part of the buyout.