Microsoft: $300 in Self-Reported AI Over 28 Days on Average

Microsoft employees self-reported their AI expenses over 28 days, with a median of $300 among approximately 350 entries. The amounts varied by team, with one employee from the Customer and Partner Solutions organization reporting as much as $28,000. These figures come from a voluntary and anonymous, unofficial spreadsheet, as the internal tracking tool is still in testing. No significant correlation appears in this sample between AI usage and bonuses, raises, or promotions.

Reported amounts do not correlate with bonuses and promotions

In the observed sample, no significant correlation appears between the reported use of AI and rewards, whether in the form of bonuses, merit increases, or promotions. At this stage, more intensive use of AI does not translate into higher benefits. Since the data is self-reported, it may contain errors and is shared voluntarily and anonymously, making it neither official nor comprehensive. Some levels or teams with too few entries have been excluded from the analysis. Microsoft had 223,000 employees as of June 30; thus, around 350 reported AI usage amounts represent only a very small snapshot.

By team, medians range from $134 to $975 (28 days)

The discrepancies by organization are notable. The median reaches $975 in Core AI (14 entries, $40 to $16,000), compared to $134 in Microsoft Customer and Partner Solutions (25 entries, $1 to $28,000). Cloud + AI shows a median of $325 (107 entries, $1 to $15,000), Microsoft AI $490 (15 entries, $45 to $10,000), Security $526 (12 entries, $58 to $10,000), Experiences and Devices $250 (69 entries, $1 to $3,391), and Azure $241 (33 entries, $1 to $7,500). The highest reported amount reaches $28,000 in MCAPS. More broadly, monthly usage ranges from a few dollars to tens of thousands depending on the teams.

Microsoft is testing an internal tool that tracks 28 days of usage

The spreadsheet added a column this year for "AI Usage in $ per month," powered by an internal tool that calculates the amount for the past 28 days. A Microsoft spokesperson indicates that this tracking mechanism is still in early testing. Nearly 600 entries from U.S. employees regarding their compensation for the year, including about 350 with a declaration of AI usage, have been aggregated. Employees voluntarily report base salaries, raises, bonuses, stock grants, and this year, the monetary value of the AI tools used, in a context where they are accustomed to sharing their compensation information and are now also comparing their AI usage. In this sample, the median AI-related expense is set at $300 over 28 days.

Tech giants measure AI by spending billions

Across the industry, major tech companies are increasingly tracking AI consumption as they invest billions in models and infrastructure. Microsoft reports spending hundreds of billions of dollars on its AI capabilities and encourages its teams to integrate these tools into their daily work. The company positions itself against Meta, Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic to design AI products.