Microsoft employees reveal how much cash they're burning on AI

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

George Chan/Getty Images A spreadsheet shows a dollar amount for monthly AI usage for hundreds of Microsoft employees.

Some employees typically share pay details when they learn about compensation this time of year.

The median AI usage amount among about 350 entries was $300 over 28 days.

Microsoft employees aren't just comparing salaries this year, they're comparing how much AI they use.

An internal spreadsheet viewed by Business Insider shows hundreds of employees voluntarily reporting not only their raises, bonuses, and stock awards, but also the dollar value of the AI tools they used over the past month.

Microsoft is offering employees an internal tool to track their AI usage and spending.

The figures offer a rare glimpse into how AI is being used inside Microsoft as the company races rivals, including Meta, Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic, to build AI products.

As the company spends hundreds of billions of dollars on AI infrastructure and pushes employees to weave AI into their daily work, the spreadsheet shows how usage varies dramatically across teams, from just a few dollars a month to tens of thousands.

It also suggests that, at least for now, heavier AI use isn't translating into bigger raises, bonuses, or promotions.

Microsoft isn't alone in trying to understand how employees use AI.

Across Big Tech, companies are increasingly tracking AI consumption as they spend billions building models and infrastructure.

New to this year's spreadsheet was a column asking employees to self-report their "AI $ Usage Per Month" using the internal tool, which shows the dollar amount of their AI usage over the last 28 days.

A Microsoft spokesperson said the AI usage tracking tool is still in early testing.