Leaked Microsoft Pay Data Shows $1.4 Million Stock Awards in AI and Cloud Teams

2 articles · Updated · Business Insider · Aug 24

Nearly 600 employee submissions in an internal Microsoft spreadsheet show compensation skewing highest in AI and cloud, with stock awards reaching $1.4 million in Cloud + AI and base pay there topping $450,000.
The self-reported data suggests stock grants are a key retention tool as Microsoft pours billions into AI infrastructure and competes with Meta, Google, OpenAI, Anthropic and startups for engineers and researchers.
By level, reported base pay ranged from $111,000-$134,000 at level 59 to $239,100-$280,000 at level 67, while stock awards climbed from as little as $0 to as much as $300,000.
The snapshot is limited: Microsoft had 223,000 employees as of June 30, the spreadsheet is voluntary and anonymous, and higher-paid staff may be underrepresented, potentially skewing ranges lower.
The pay disclosures arrive weeks after Microsoft cut thousands of jobs in July, highlighting the contrast between broad layoffs and rich incentives for priority AI and cloud talent.