Michael Dell's tweets on HP's strategy

He once said he’d manage Apple Inc. differently if he were in charge, saying, “I’d shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders.”

The comment was made in 1997, shortly after Steve Jobs returned to the company he founded. Fourteen years later, Apple is the most highly valued technology company in the world.

That wasn’t lost on some of Mr. Dell’s followers on Thursday.

One wrote: “Last time u made fun of another co. (AAPL) they ended up being worth 13 times as much as yours so I guess HPQ will be ok.  ”