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    Business InsiderWednesday, August 26, 2026 3 min read
    AI

    Leaked Microsoft Pay Data Shows How Much Hundreds of Employees Report Making

    A leaked internal spreadsheet with nearly 600 voluntary submissions reveals Microsoft compensation data across levels and teams. Base salaries range from roughly $111K at level 59 to $280K at level 67, with stock awards at senior levels …

    Key takeaways
    • 01The Cloud + AI organization shows the widest pay band, with base pay up to $450K, bonuses up to $300K, and stock awards up to $1.4M.
    • 02The data reflects Microsoft's intensifying competition with Meta, Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic for AI and cloud talent as the company continues to invest billions in AI infrastructure.
    • 03Microsoft declined to comment, and the sample represents less than 0.3% of its 223,000-person workforce, so figures likely skew toward lower and mid-level employees.

    A leaked internal spreadsheet with nearly 600 voluntary submissions reveals Microsoft compensation data across levels and teams. Base salaries range from roughly $111K at level 59 to $280K at level 67, with stock awards at senior levels reaching $300K or more. The Cloud + AI organization shows the widest pay band, with base pay up to $450K, bonuses up to $300K, and stock awards up to $1.4M. The data reflects Microsoft's intensifying competition with Meta, Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic for AI and cloud talent as the company continues to invest billions in AI infrastructure. Microsoft declined to comment, and the sample represents less than 0.3% of its 223,000-person workforce, so figures likely skew toward lower and mid-level employees.

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