Michael Dell: More tech giants to pursue privatisation

Dell leader admits more than 10 tech firms have sought his advice on going private

Michael Dell has said more technology giants could follow his firm's lead and go private after admitting that more than 10 CEOs have been in touch asking for his advice on the matter.

In an interview with Bloomberg TV, the eponymous leader said since his firm was taken off the stock market last year, others in the industry have been quick to seek his advice on the move.

"Quite a few [companies] have contacted me and asked me how we went through the process and what it was like," he said, adding that "more than 10" firms had been in touch in the past year.

"Some are in Dell's size range – some a little larger and [some] a lot smaller than Dell. I think you could see some more [privatisations] based on the discussions I have had with some other colleagues."

Last October, Dell (pictured) finally managed to take the firm he founded private in a $25bn (£15.7bn) deal after a long battle with activist investors.

He added that since his firm went private, 20 per cent of his time has been freed up to focus on the businesses where otherwise it would have been spent on activities to do with shareholders.

"Think about all the time dealing with governance and preparing for investor activities and dealing with shareholder requests," he said. "If I watch [Bloomberg] I see constant discussion of should there be a bigger dividend, should there be a share repurchase, should they spin off this or split off that or merge with this – this is really quite distracting if you're trying to grow a business."