"[Michael Dell] made his money by grafting an old idea to a new business: he eliminated the middleman (and avoided the inventory costs of his rivals) by building computers to order and selling them direct to consumers.

That simple scheme made millionaires of many of Mr. Dell's early employees, even secretaries and clerks, and it made billionaires of some. . . .Soon all of Austin was gossiping about the new 'Dellionaires'."
—R .W. Apple Jr., "Booming In Size and Brio, The New York Times, April 28, 2000