Leaked Spreadsheet Reveals Microsoft AI and Cloud Pay Data

Microsoft faced a data leak involving an internal spreadsheet containing compensation details for nearly 600 employees. The leaked information, which was self-reported by staff, includes base salaries, raises, cash bonuses, and stock awards across various divisions, with a particular focus on AI and cloud sectors.

The data reveals a strategy to retain high-level engineers and researchers to remain competitive against rivals such as Google, Meta, OpenAI, and Anthropic. Compensation varies significantly across the company, though the Cloud + AI organization reported the highest potential earnings, with some stock awards reaching $1.4 million.

Microsoft declined to comment on the leak. Because the spreadsheet relied on voluntary submissions, the data may be skewed toward lower pay ranges and represents only a small fraction of the company's total workforce of 223,000 employees.