Wall Street’s big bet on AI is beefing up the pockets of some of the most prominent leaders in the tech space.
A new proxy filing revealed that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s pay package jumped to $96.5 million in fiscal 2025—the highest amount paid since he became CEO more than a decade ago. His earnings include more than $84 million in stock awards, over $9.5 million in cash incentives, and $196,294 in all other compensation.
Nadella’s sweeping take-home pay was thanks in part to the tech giants’ share performance, which has seen generous gains amid the enthusiasm towards AI investments.
In 2025 alone, Microsoft’s stock price has risen by 23%, with shares having more than doubled in value over the past three years. Today, Microsoft’s market cap is almost at $4 trillion.
Nadella’s compensation is tied to shares—so as long as Microsoft rides the AI wave, so does his pay
Since ChatGPT’s debut in November 2022, investors from Wall Street to Main Street have piled into the AI boom. Citigroup strategists estimate that nearly 50% of the S&P 500’s overall roughly $57 trillion in market capitalization has “high” or “medium” exposure to AI, according to a report from Reuters.
Despite these investments, many warn it could be a bubble waiting to burst, similarly to the dot-com bubble in the late 90s. But for now, as long as Microsoft rides the AI wave, so does its CEO’s pay. About 90% of his compensation, which includes a $2.5 million salary, is in Microsoft shares, the company said in the filing.
Nadella became Microsoft’s third CEO in 2014, with a $84.3 million compensation package. In a note to shareholders, the board compensation committee wrote that his increased salary reflects his success in positioning “Microsoft as a clear artificial intelligence leader for this generational technology shift.”
Nadella’s pay compared to other tech CEOs
Compared to other leaders in the tech space, Nadella’s reported pay is a large amount. For example, in May Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang got his first salary increase in a decade, with 2025 pay rising to $49.9 million.
Huang’s pay includes $6 million that he received as part of a non-equity incentive plan, $38.8 million in stock awards, and $3.5 million for residential security, driver services, security monitoring, and car expenses.
Apple chief exec Tim Cook made more than $74.6 million in 2024. His pay included $58.1 million in stock awards, $12 million in non-equity incentive plan compensation and $1.5 million in other compensation.
In comparison, the median total compensation for CEOs of companies in the S&P 500 was around $17.1 million for 2024, according to recent data. Compensation for tech industry giants tends to be higher, averaging at around $19.3 million in 2024—just 20% of Nadella’s new pay package.
