ToplineMichael Dell became the world’s sixth-richest person on Friday, surpassing Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg as shares of Dell’s hardware firm paced their best day ever, following what some analysts called “one of the most impressive quarters we’ve seen in our time.” Analysts called Dell’s latest earnings “one of the most impressive quarters we’ve seen in our time covering hardware.”2026 InvisionKey FactsShares of Dell skyrocketed by 32.1% shortly after trading opened on Friday, surpassing the stock’s record intraday gain of 31.6% set in March 2024.The stock surge added $35.8 billion to Dell’s net worth, now valued at $245.9 billion, ranking him ahead of Zuckerberg ($215.6 billion) as the world’s sixth-wealthiest person behind Oracle’s Larry Ellison ($266.4 billion), whose fortune swelled by $13.5 billion on Friday, according to Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires list.Dell on Thursday reported first-quarter earnings of $4.86 per share and revenue of $43.8 billion, smashing expectations of $2.96 per share and $35.7 billion, respectively, according to FactSet, after Dell reported AI server revenue surged by 757% annually to $16.1 billion.Dell also revised its expectations for full-year AI revenue to $60 billion, up from $50 billion in February and 144% above the previous year.Morgan Stanley analysts wrote in a note on Friday that they were “eating our humble pie” after they “got this one wrong,” adding, “This was—across the board—one of the most impressive quarters we’ve seen in our time covering hardware, especially in the context of what is happening across the component universe.”Patrick Moorhead, chief analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, called Dell’s earnings “an absolute blowout like I have never seen before.”Big Number$9.7 billion. That’s the size of Dell’s five-year contract with the Pentagon announced on Wednesday, which will restructure and streamline the agency’s software- and cloud-based communication and collaboration systems. The Pentagon said the deal could save the agency about $422 million annually. Surprising FactPresident Donald Trump purchased $5 million worth of Dell shares on Feb. 10, after which the stock has surged by more than 240%. He purchased additional equity in Dell three more times in March, and Trump praised the company earlier this month, saying, “Go out and buy a Dell.” Dell is one of the largest proponents for Trump’s “Trump Accounts,” a new investment account for children in the U.S. included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, after donating $6.25 billion to the program in December. Key BackgroundDell has become the latest to benefit from a surge in AI demand, and COO Jeff Clarke said in the company’s earnings that its “AI opportunity shows no signs of slowing.” Dell has seen increased interest in its servers designed to run AI workloads, and Dell said it booked some $24.4 billion in AI orders through its latest quarter. Further ReadingForbesBillionaire Michael Dell Donates $6.25 Billion To ‘Trump Accounts’ For 25 Million KidsBy Ty Roush