Michael Dell was widely considered one of the mythic heroes within the PC industry having been branded as "the quintessential American entrepreneur" and "the most innovative guy for marketing computers in this decade." He was the youngest CEO to guide a company to a Fortune 500 ranking. His prowess was based more on an shrewd combination of technical knowledge and marketing know-how rather than on being a technology wizard. In 1998 Michael Dell owned 16 percent of Dell Computer's common stock, worth about $10 billion.