Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s Compensation Tops $1 Billion (Rs.8276 crores)

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has accumulated over $1 billion in compensation at the company, thanks in part to the success of their investment in OpenAI’s ChatGPT tool. Nadella’s earnings were calculated by Bloomberg using his salary, bonuses, stock dividends, and disclosed equity grants from Microsoft’s regulatory filings. In 2022 alone, he earned nearly $55 million.

Nadella’s financial success aligns with the significant growth of Microsoft’s stock since he became CEO in 2014. The company’s shares have increased by over 1,000% during his tenure, with a surge of almost 50% since the beginning of this year. However, a Microsoft spokesperson, Frank Shaw, denied the report and stated that Nadella does not have a net worth of over a billion dollars.

The majority of Nadella’s purported $1 billion compensation comes from equity grants tied to his performance and service time at Microsoft. The report also mentioned that he has periodically sold some of his shares in the company and gifted $20 million in stock to undisclosed beneficiaries.

Microsoft’s investment of $10 billion in OpenAI, particularly their ChatGPT tool, has contributed to Nadella’s success. The tool has gained popularity for its capability to generate human-like responses to various user prompts. This investment has given Microsoft an advantage over competitors such as Google parent company Alphabet in the development of advanced AI tools. Microsoft has integrated OpenAI’s ChatGPT technology with its Bing search engine.