I agree that with _a lot_ of effort Dell could have invested $15B in the stock market in 2013 and done well for himself.
My objection is to the claim that he's somehow incompetent because he didn't outperform the market with his activity. He basically got the same returns for himself as he would have "in the market", and created economic opportunity for tens of thousands of people in the process. To me, that's a great success.
Could you have made $2700 in 2018 out of $1500 in 2013 easily by investing in an index? Yes.
Could Michael Dell have used the exact same method to make $27B in 2018 out of $15B in 2013 by investing in an index, without changing the conditions of that index such that the method wouldn't work? Yes.
You seem to now be focusing on the question "Is Michael Dell a stupid dumb idiot or a saint?"
My objection is to the claim that he's somehow incompetent because he didn't outperform the market with his activity. He basically got the same returns for himself as he would have "in the market", and created economic opportunity for tens of thousands of people in the process. To me, that's a great success.