WSJ Tech News Briefing · Oct 19, 2026
With Michael Dell, Founder and CEO of Dell Technologies
Photo: Village Global, CC BY 2.0 via Wikipedia
Dell Technologies took eight quarters to sign its first 3,200 customers for its AI factories, then added 3,300 more in the next three. Michael Dell, founder and CEO of Dell Technologies, told WSJ tech columnist Christopher Mims on WSJ Tech News Briefing that business demand for AI is still early.
Many investors see an AI bubble in that buildout. Michael has seen this pattern in every technology wave of his career, and says the doubters are part of what keeps it healthy.
"Every one of them is met with excesses and optimism and skepticism at the same time, and that's actually pretty healthy." — Michael Dell
Michael is one of the few chief executives who ran his company through the dot-com bubble and still runs it in the AI boom, with 42 years of technology waves behind him.
The full segment is covered here so you can skip it.
Here are the 5 takeaways that matter.
Key Takeaways
Dell Technologies built about half the servers for SpaceX's Colossus-1 supercomputer in about six weeks
The AI factory customer count more than doubled in three quarters, after taking eight quarters to reach 3,200
Michael calls the mix of excess, optimism and skepticism healthy, and relies on a negative cash conversion cycle to survive downturns
The memory chip shortage could get worse in 2027, because new factories take about four years to build
Michael does not pick between universal basic income and universal basic capital, but expects a hard period of reskilling
1. A 60-Year Shift to AI
Michael described the AI buildout as the biggest change in computing since computers began. Danny Lewis, host of WSJ Tech News Briefing, introduced the conversation, and Christopher led the interview.
Michael Dell says computers have moved from calculating to producing intelligence
"We had 60 years of calculating and computing... now we have these models that are creating a kind of intelligence." — Michael Dell
Michael's company built roughly half the servers for Colossus-1, the AI supercomputer of Elon Musk's SpaceX, in about six weeks.
Michael Dell calls Elon Musk the most demanding customer there is
"Elon is probably the most demanding customer. No, he's definitely the most demanding customer there is." — Michael Dell
