Microsoft compensation data reveals high pay for AI and cloud staff

Leaked internal data and regulatory filings reveal significant details regarding compensation structures at Microsoft. An internal spreadsheet containing anonymous submissions from approximately 600 employees highlights a heavy reliance on stock awards to attract and retain talent, particularly in the competitive Cloud and AI sectors. In these divisions, stock awards have reportedly reached as high as $1.4 million, with base salaries ranging from $111,000 to $450,000.

At the executive level, CEO Satya Nadella’s total compensation rose to approximately $96.5 million for fiscal year 2025, up from $79.1 million the previous year. His pay is heavily performance-linked, with over 95% tied to targets, including more than $84 million in stock awards. This increase follows strong financial performance driven by the company’s cloud and artificial intelligence initiatives, including Azure and its partnership with OpenAI.

The data underscores a widening gap between base salaries and total compensation packages, as annual raises remain modest compared to the scale of equity and cash bonuses provided to high-level employees and specialized technical staff.