Dell’s performance since its inception has been excellent by any measure, but the company
went on a truly extraordinary run from 1995-1998, a period in which it achieved annual growth
rates of 50% in revenues and 75% in profits. During this time, it became the number two PC
seller in the U.S. and number three worldwide, and saw its stock price rise by a compound rate
of 287% annually. This run coincided with the company’s full scale embrace of the Internet
throughout its operations.