According to leaked salary data from Microsoft, there is a significant pay gap between employees working on artificial intelligence (AI) and those in other roles. The data, which covers over 100,000 Microsoft employees, shows that AI engineers and researchers earn substantially higher salaries compared to their counterparts in other fields. For instance, a senior AI engineer at Microsoft can earn up to $345,000 per year, while a senior software engineer’s salary tops out at around $185,000. This disparity is driven by the high demand for AI talent and the scarcity of skilled professionals in this field. Microsoft, along with other tech giants, is engaged in an intense battle to attract and retain top AI talent, leading to inflated salaries for these roles. The pay gap highlights the growing importance of AI in the tech industry and the premium companies are willing to pay for expertise in this domain. However, it also raises concerns about potential inequities and resentment among non-AI employees.
Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/leaked-microsoft-employees-engineers-salary-ai-pay-gap-2024-8