Leaked documents show how much Microsoft pays its engineers
What's the story
Microsoft's pay guidelines have been leaked, shedding light on the tech giant's compensation packages for its engineers. The documents, last updated in May, reveal a range of salaries, hiring bonuses, and stock awards based on different levels of seniority. However, it is important to note that in competitive situations, recruiters can seek approval for higher offers for exceptional candidates.
Pay tiers
Entry-level positions to senior roles
Microsoft's pay guidelines reveal a tiered system based on seniority. Levels 57 to 59 are entry-level positions, while senior engineers start at level 63 and principal-level engineers at level 65. The documents show that candidates at the highest level (level 70) can earn an annual salary of up to $408,000, depending on their location.
Packages
Hefty stock awards for top-level hires
Along with a hefty salary, candidates at level 70 also get a one-time stock award of up to $1.9 million upon hiring. Their future compensation includes a yearly stock award worth as much as $1,476,000. The documents also detail different salary ranges for different locations such as Redmond, Washington (the company's headquarters) and San Francisco (a high cost-of-living area).
Level-wise compensation
Salary range for entry-level engineers
The leaked documents provide a detailed breakdown of Microsoft's pay guidelines by levels. For instance, an entry-level engineer (level 57) can expect a "high" salary range between $95,800 and $124,600, with an on-hire stock award between $5,000 and $13,000. The signing bonus ranges from nothing to as much as $9,000 while the annual bonus is not applicable at this level.
Senior positions
Principal-level engineers can earn this much
The documents also detail compensation packages for higher levels. For instance, a principal-level engineer (level 65) can expect a "main" salary range between $172,800 and $259,200 with an on-hire stock award between $100,000 and $320,000. The signing bonus can go up to as much as $90,000, while the annual bonus can be as high as 40% of the base salary.