Microsoft's internal pay guidelines reveal salary, bonus, and stock award ranges for various levels of technical staff, with higher levels offering significantly larger compensation packages, and a provision allowing recruiters to seek higher offers in competitive cases, highlighting the company's approach to attracting top AI talent amid fierce industry competition.
Leaked pay guidelines from Microsoft provide insight into the salary, hiring bonus, and stock award ranges for new hires at different levels. The guidelines vary by field and location, with higher pay in areas like San Francisco and New York. The highest pay package in the guidelines was $361,500 in salary, $1.2 million as a hiring bonus, and about $1 million in annual stock awards. Microsoft uses a system of levels to denote seniority, with higher levels offering higher compensation.