Leaked Microsoft pay data shows how much hundreds of employees report making in AI, cloud, and other teams
It’s the season when Microsoft employees start learning about their raises and bonuses — and many are once again turning to a shared spreadsheet to compare numbers.
The crowdsourced document, viewed by Business Insider, has already attracted over 850 anonymous submissions. Employees have reported details on their salaries, cash bonuses, and stock awards, creating a snapshot of compensation across the company.
Pay transparency has become increasingly relevant as Microsoft competes aggressively for AI talent. The company is extending multimillion-dollar offers to lure researchers and engineers away from rivals like Meta, while recently introducing updated pay guidelines that include special exceptions to make offers more attractive. At the same time, Microsoft has been cutting thousands of jobs this year and says overall headcount will stay roughly flat — suggesting hiring remains highly selective.
Business Insider analyzed nearly 300 entries specifically from U.S.-based software engineers to get a sense of pay ranges by level and team. Microsoft declined to comment on the findings.
It’s important to note that this spreadsheet is voluntary, unofficial, and not comprehensive. Microsoft employed about 228,000 people as of June 30, and employees with higher seniority or pay often contribute less to such trackers. As a result, the ranges may underrepresent the upper tiers of compensation.
Reported software engineer pay ranges at Microsoft (self-submitted)
By level:
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Level 59 — Base: $120.8K–124K | Bonus: $3K–19.3K (8–14%) | Stock: $7K–19.3K
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Level 60 — Base: $111K–160K | Bonus: $9.3K–21.7K (8–16%) | Stock: $7.2K–20K
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Level 61 — Base: $128K–170K | Bonus: $11.3K–27K (8–20%) | Stock: $10.8K–36K
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Level 62 — Base: $139.2K–191K | Bonus: $11K–30.8K (8–20%) | Stock: $8K–45K
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Level 63 — Base: $153.5K–224.8K | Bonus: $8K–50K (10–25%) | Stock: $22K–64K
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Level 64 — Base: $162.7K–230.6K | Bonus: $11K–50K (10–140%) | Stock: $38K–80K
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Level 65 — Base: $188K–230K | Bonus: $32.7K–61.7K (16–28%) | Stock: $39K–91K
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Level 66 — Base: $217.6K–269K | Bonus: $59K–60.7K (20–120%) | Stock: $78K–140K
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Level 67 — Base: $248K–250K | Bonus: $70K–82K (28–34%) | Stock: $145K–252K
By team:
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Cloud + AI — Base: $128K–340K | Bonus: $4.5K–213K (10–63%) | Stock: $8K–1,000K
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Commerce + Ecosystems — Base: $158.2K–248.1K | Bonus: $24.4K–68.3K (16–28%) | Stock: $35.2K–140K
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Security — Base: $127.5K–218K | Bonus: $3.6K–48K (10–24%) | Stock: $10K–66K
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Azure — Base: $122.2K–240K | Bonus: $11.4K–60K (10–27%) | Stock: $12K–100K
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Experiences + Devices — Base: $120K–250K | Bonus: $6K–82K (8–140%) | Stock: $7.2K–252K
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Microsoft AI — Base: $139.2K–207K | Bonus: $13.8K–50K (10–21%) | Stock: $18K–56K
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Xbox — Base: $132K–215K | Bonus: $11.2K–48K (10–24%) | Stock: $12K–64K
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Core AI — Base: $126.6K–213K | Bonus: $15.3K–49K (10–25%) | Stock: $10K–64K
Average reported base salaries by division
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Cloud + AI: $204,135
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Commerce + Ecosystems: $191,597
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Security: $189,285
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Azure: $176,035
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Experiences + Devices: $175,123
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Microsoft AI: $170,456
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Xbox: $168,831
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Core AI: $167,759
Cloud + AI: $204,135
Commerce + Ecosystems: $191,597
Security: $189,285
Azure: $176,035
Experiences + Devices: $175,123
Microsoft AI: $170,456
Xbox: $168,831
Core AI: $167,759
While stock remains the largest driver of overall compensation in tech, base pay provides a useful lens to compare different groups. Interestingly, the crowdsourced figures generally trend lower than Microsoft’s own internal guidelines for new hire offers, which Business Insider reported on earlier.
That gap may simply reflect who is submitting: employees with the highest pay packages are often the least likely to add their details to public spreadsheets.