It is a lot easier being a private company: Dell CEO

Q- How has going private helped the company?

A- If you look at market share data, we have had growth and market share gains for ten quarters in a row. That is the first time in a decade that has happened, which indicates that something different is happening. Being a private company has helped us focus on a 5-10 year kind of vision rather than short-term ones which public companies are often forced to. We are investing heavily in sales, partners and channels capacity. There have been no downsides about going private. When we went public in 1988, we couldn't have got that kind of capital anywhere else. It is a whole lot easier being a private company.

Q- What is your outlook on the PC market?

A- We see a consolidation in the PC space. If you look at the top three companies, they are gaining share. In the first half of this year, we outgrew the other two in notebooks. The last 10 quarters in a row we have continued to gain share. The top three only have about 53-54 per cent share, so I personally believe the top three could go to like 80 per cent market share not in a year or two but more like in five-six years. We have been growing (our share) inspite of the overall (PC) market shrinking.

Q- Your view on the start-up eco-system in India?

A- It is dramatically different from what it was even four to five years ago. We do a lot of things around the world to support entrepreneurs. We want to be their best friends and sell our products to them. We provide services, capital, ideas, mentoring and we have the Dell women entrepreneur network. Dell Ventures makes investments across the world including Asia. I am currently the UN ambassador for Entrepreneurship. I am excited about the start-up ecosystem in India.