Hundreds Of Microsoft Employees Just Revealed Their Pay — From $111K To $340K — As Company Fights To Keep AI Talent From Meta

Benzinga
2025.08.21 09:30
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Microsoft employees have disclosed their compensation details, revealing salaries ranging from $111K to $340K as the company competes with Meta for AI talent. Over 850 employees shared data in an anonymous spreadsheet, showing average base pay in the AI division at $204,135. Microsoft is implementing new pay guidelines to attract talent amid aggressive recruitment from Meta, which has offered packages up to $100 million. Despite job cuts, Microsoft continues selective hiring in strategic areas to enhance its AI capabilities.

Microsoft Corp. MSFT employees leak compensation details through an anonymous spreadsheet as the company battles Meta Platforms Inc. META for artificial intelligence talent with multi-million dollar offers.

Employee Transparency Reveals Pay Ranges

More than 850 Microsoft employees have voluntarily shared salary, bonus and stock compensation data in an anonymous spreadsheet reviewed by Business Insider. The self-reported entries provide insight into pay structures as the tech giant competes aggressively for AI engineering talent.

Business Insider analyzed nearly 300 submissions from U.S.-based software engineers, revealing base salaries ranging from $111,000 to $340,000 depending on experience level and division. The data represents a small sample of Microsoft’s 228,000 global workforce as of June 30.

AI Divisions Command Premium Compensation

Cloud + AI division leads average base pay at $204,135, followed by Commerce + Ecosystems at $191,597. The premium reflects Microsoft’s strategic focus on artificial intelligence capabilities, driving record earnings growth.

Stock awards vary significantly by level, with senior engineers (Level 67) receiving $145,000-$252,000 in equity compensation. Cash bonuses range from 8-140% of base salary across different organizational levels.

Microsoft did not immediately respond to Benzinga's request for comment.

Microsoft has implemented new pay guidelines with competitive carve-outs to counter Meta’s aggressive recruitment efforts. The Redmond-based company is pursuing Meta’s AI researchers with multi-million dollar compensation packages, according to BI, which cited internal documents.

Meta recently implemented a hiring freeze in its AI division after offering compensation packages reportedly reaching $100 million to recruit over 50 researchers from competitors, including Microsoft, Alphabet Inc. GOOGL GOOG and Apple Inc. AAPL.

Strategic Hiring Continues Despite Cuts

Microsoft maintains flat headcount guidance while cutting thousands of positions, indicating continued selective hiring in strategic areas, according to BI. The company’s focus on AI talent acquisition supports its competitive positioning against Meta’s “Superintelligence Efforts” and broader industry transformation.

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