Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s compensation rose by 63% in fiscal year 2024, reaching approximately Rs 665 crore. A recent filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) shows a substantial increase in Nadella’s stock awards, jumping from $39 million last year to $71 million. Notably, the filing reveals that Nadella sought a decrease in his cash compensation, citing cybersecurity concerns and suggesting a possible “China angle.”
Microsoft has encountered several cybersecurity incidents lately. In July 2023, a global outage impacted Windows users, and a US Department of Homeland Security report in April disclosed that Chinese actors had breached the email accounts of US officials, which Microsoft later confirmed in July. Additionally, in January, Russian intelligence reportedly accessed the email accounts of some of Microsoft’s top executives.
Nadella’s total compensation for 2024 includes $71.2 million (approximately Rs 600 crore) in stock awards, $5.2 million (Rs 44 crore) as part of a non-equity incentive plan, a base salary of $2.5 million (over Rs 21 crore), and $170,000 (around Rs 15 lakh) in additional compensation. His cash incentive, however, dropped from $10.7 million to $5.2 million, making his total cash-based earnings around $7.87 million.
The SEC filing noted that Nadella asked the board to reduce his cash incentives in light of cybersecurity risks, underscoring his commitment to security and corporate responsibility as CEO.
Microsoft has quadrupled its net income to $88.1 billion and tripled its revenue to $245.1 billion since Nadella assumed the position in 2014.
