Archive · 26 Aug 2026
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s Pay Soars Amid AI, Cloud Growth
Satya Nadella is the chief executive of Microsoft.
In fiscal 2025, Microsoft gave him about $96.5 million in total compensation.
This was higher than the previous year’s $79.1 million.
Most of the money came as company stock rather than regular salary.
His base salary was $2.5 million, with about $9.5 million in cash incentives.
Microsoft’s business grew strongly, especially in cloud computing and artificial intelligence.
More than 95% of his target pay depends on performance, including Microsoft’s revenue, cloud growth, and shareholder returns.
Some of his stock rewards depend on how Microsoft performs over several years.
Satya Nadella’s total compensation rose 22% to about $96.5 million, or Rs 919 crore, in fiscal 2025.
His compensation increased from $79.1 million, or about Rs 753.5 crore, the previous year.
More than $84 million came from stock awards, alongside a $2.5 million base salary and roughly $9.5 million in cash incentives.
Microsoft’s fiscal 2025 revenue rose about 15%, operating income increased 17%, and cloud revenue grew 23% to nearly $169 billion.
Microsoft’s board credited Nadella with exceptional progress in artificial intelligence, while his pay remained heavily linked to performance and long-term results.
- Who
- Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s chief executive officer, and Microsoft’s board.
- What
- Nadella’s fiscal 2025 total compensation rose to about $96.5 million, or Rs 919 crore.
- When
- Fiscal 2025; the comparison is with the previous fiscal year.
- Where
- At Microsoft; the reports state the compensation in U.S. dollars and Indian rupees.
- Why
- The increase followed Microsoft’s stronger financial, cloud, and artificial-intelligence performance, with most compensation tied to performance and equity.
- Fiscal 2025 compensation
- About $96.5 million, or Rs 919 crore
- Previous-year compensation
- $79.1 million, or about Rs 753.5 crore
- Year-over-year increase
- 22%
- Stock awards
- More than $84 million
- Base salary
- $2.5 million
- Cash incentives
- About $9.5 million
- CEO-to-median-employee pay ratio
- Nearly 480-to-1
- Cloud performance
- Cloud revenue rose 23% to nearly $169 billion; Azure revenue rose 34% to more than $75 billion