Satya Nadella’s Pay Soars to $96.5 Million in FY25, His Highest Since Becoming Microsoft CEO

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Satya Nadella (Photo: Microsoft)
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Mumbai– Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella’s total compensation for fiscal year 2024–2025 rose to $96.5 million, marking his highest annual pay since taking the helm of the tech giant more than a decade ago.

The sharp increase reflects Microsoft’s rapid advances in artificial intelligence under Nadella’s leadership. In its note to shareholders, the company’s board praised him and his executive team for positioning Microsoft as a global leader in AI during what it called a “generational technology shift.”

According to Microsoft’s regulatory filing, roughly 90 percent of Nadella’s compensation comes in the form of company stock, in addition to a base salary of $2.5 million. In the previous financial year, Nadella earned $79.1 million. He became Microsoft’s third CEO in 2014, succeeding Steve Ballmer and co-founder Bill Gates.

The filing also showed higher compensation for other top executives. Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood earned $29.5 million, while Judson Althoff, who heads Microsoft’s commercial business, received $28.2 million.

Microsoft shares have gained about 23 percent this year, driven by steady growth in its Azure cloud platform, which continues to outperform rivals such as Amazon Web Services.

Since becoming CEO, Nadella has transformed Microsoft into a cloud-first and AI-driven enterprise. His early commitment to cloud computing helped Azure emerge as one of the world’s leading platforms, while a series of major acquisitions — including LinkedIn, GitHub, and gaming giant Activision Blizzard — expanded the company’s reach across software, networking, and entertainment.

One of Nadella’s most consequential decisions was backing OpenAI when it was a little-known startup. Microsoft’s initial $1 billion investment evolved into a far deeper partnership, with an additional $10 billion committed after ChatGPT’s global success. Today, OpenAI-powered features are integrated across Microsoft’s product suite, from Office applications to Azure services.

Born and raised in Hyderabad, Nadella earned an engineering degree from Mangalore University in 1988 and later obtained a master’s in computer science from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. He joined Microsoft in 1992 and rose through the ranks, leading several divisions before becoming CEO in 2014. (Source: IANS)

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