Dell was founded in 1984 by Michael Dell when he was 18 years old. Dell initially sold personal computers directly to customers, eliminating markups from retailers. This allowed Dell to reduce costs and risks from large inventories. By 1999, Dell had become the largest online retailer. Michael Dell remains the CEO and Chairman. Dell operates manufacturing facilities around the world and divides its business into the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific regions. Dell faces competition from HP, IBM, Gateway, and Apple but has maintained leadership in market share and profitability through its direct sales model and supply chain management.