It seems that this year, Microsoft employees aren’t just comparing their salaries and bonuses – they’re also comparing how much they use AI. A leaked internal spreadsheet, reviewed by Business Insider, reveals that hundreds of Microsoft employees have voluntarily shared details about their pay raises, bonuses, and stock awards, alongside their spending on AI tools over the past month.
This internal tool, currently in early testing, allows employees to track their AI usage and associated costs. The data offers a rare glimpse into the actual adoption of artificial intelligence within Microsoft, a company that is aggressively investing in AI products to keep pace with rivals like Meta, Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic.
Despite Microsoft’s massive investments in AI infrastructure and its push for employees to integrate AI into their daily workflows, the spreadsheet data highlights significant disparities in AI usage across different teams. While some employees report monthly AI expenses in the single-digit dollars, others are spending tens of thousands of dollars. Importantly, the data suggests that, at least for now, higher AI usage does not directly correlate with increased pay, bigger bonuses, or more frequent promotions.
The AI Usage Tracker
Microsoft is not alone in its efforts to understand employee AI adoption. As major tech firms pour billions into developing AI models and infrastructure, tracking employee engagement with these tools has become a growing trend across the industry.
The internal spreadsheet includes a new section where employees self-report their “Monthly AI Spend” using Microsoft’s internal tracking tool, which shows usage over the last 28 days. A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed that this AI usage tracking tool is still in its early testing phases.
What the Data Reveals
Business Insider’s analysis of the document encompassed data from nearly 600 U.S. employees, detailing their base salaries, raises, cash bonuses, and stock awards for the year. Approximately 350 of these employees had also filled in their AI usage figures at the time of the review.
Among those who reported their data, the median AI spend over the past 28 days was around $300. The highest reported figure came from an employee in the Microsoft Customer and Partner Solutions division, reaching an astonishing $28,000.
Business Insider excluded data entries from job levels and teams with insufficient data points for analysis. It’s also important to note that since the data is self-reported, there’s a possibility of inaccuracies.
AI Usage by Department (Median Spend & Range)
- Azure: 332 entries, median spend $241 ($1 to $7,500)
- Cloud + AI: 107 entries, median spend $325 ($1 to $15,000)
- CoreAI: 149 entries, median spend $975 ($40 to $16,000)
- Experiences and Devices: 69 entries, median spend $250 ($1 to $3,391)
- Microsoft AI: 154 entries, median spend $490 ($45 to $10,000)
- Microsoft Customer and Partner Solutions: 25 entries, median spend $134 ($1 to $28,000)
- Security: 12 entries, median spend $526 ($58 to $10,000)
Microsoft employees typically share such information voluntarily and anonymously to promote pay transparency. However, this means the data is not an official company statistic and may not represent the full picture.
With Microsoft employing 223,000 people as of June 30, the roughly 350 AI usage data points in this spreadsheet represent a very limited sample size.
No Clear Link to Compensation
Crucially, Business Insider’s analysis did not find any discernible link between higher AI usage and employee compensation. The data indicates that increased use of AI tools did not appear to translate into higher bonus ratings, more significant performance-based salary increases, or a demonstrably higher likelihood of promotion.
As Microsoft continues to navigate the evolving landscape of AI integration, this internal data offers a candid, albeit early, look at how its workforce is engaging with these powerful new technologies and what immediate impact, if any, it has on career progression and financial rewards.
