Nadella's salary boost is attributed to substantial stock awards amid a year when Microsoft’s market value reached an impressive $3 trillion. The company's shares rose approximately 31.2% during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024. Currently, the highest-paid CEO in the tech industry is Elon Musk, with an annual compensation package of $23.5 billion, while Nadella ranks eighth with an annual package of $309.4 million.

According to a recent filing, Nadella's largest stock award occurred in 2014, when he received ₹697.2 crore. Interestingly, the filing revealed that Nadella could have earned around ₹41.5 crore more had he not voluntarily requested a pay cut to "reflect his accountability" for the company’s adjustments to address cybersecurity risks. The Microsoft board’s compensation committee praised Nadella’s leadership, stating, "The board reviewed the company's performance and strongly believes that Mr. Nadella provided exceptional leadership and was both critical in achieving both the extremely strong performance of the company and personally responsible for the ongoing repositioning of its investments and priorities.”