Updated April 2026 · SEC DEF 14A data
Adobe vs Microsoft, CEO Pay Comparison
Satya Nadella, Microsoft's CEO, earns $45.3M more in SEC-disclosed total compensation than Shantanu Narayen at Adobe, based on the most recent DEF 14A proxy filings. Both figures are the disclosed Summary Compensation Table "Total" line.
Shantanu Narayen at Adobe ($51.2M) and Satya Nadella at Microsoft ($96.5M) are close on SEC-disclosed total compensation. Both totals are the headline figure from each company's most recent DEF 14A proxy statement.
CEO compensation comparisons require peer-group context. Compensation committees explicitly select peer groups for setting CEO pay; two companies may use different peer groups even when they appear in similar industries. The full per-company pages surface the disclosed peer-group context.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Metric | AdobeADBE | MicrosoftMSFT |
|---|---|---|
| CEO | Shantanu Narayen | Satya Nadella |
| Industry | Software | Software |
| Total Compensation (SEC-disclosed) | $51.2M | $96.5M |
| Revenue | $21.5B | $245.1B |
| Market Cap | $240.0B | $3100.0B |
| Employees | 29,945 | 228,000 |
Reading the Comparison
Satya Nadella (Microsoft) earns $45.3M more than Shantanu Narayen (Adobe) — a meaningful gap reflecting both pay-package design and the size of the most recent equity grant under FASB ASC 718 grant-date fair value accounting.
How These Numbers Are Sourced
We report each CEO’s headline total compensation — the “Total” line of the Summary Compensation Table the SEC requires under Regulation S-K Item 402, captured from the filing’s machine-readable iXBRL data. We do not reproduce or estimate the per-line-item salary / stock / option split — that detail is in each company’s DEF 14A. Underlying SEC filings for both Adobe and Microsoft are available on the EDGAR system.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do the CEOs of Adobe and Microsoft earn?
Shantanu Narayen, CEO of Adobe, was reported with $51.2M in SEC-disclosed total compensation in the most recently disclosed fiscal year. Satya Nadella at Microsoft was reported with $96.5M. These are headline total-compensation figures (the Summary Compensation Table "Total" line); the per-line-item salary/stock/option split is disclosed inside each company's DEF 14A proxy statement and is not reproduced or estimated here.
Which CEO is paid more, Adobe or Microsoft?
Satya Nadella (Microsoft) earns $45.3M more than Shantanu Narayen (Adobe) — a meaningful gap reflecting both pay-package design and the size of the most recent equity grant under FASB ASC 718 grant-date fair value accounting.
Where does this comparison data come from?
Every figure on this page is sourced from public SEC filings: the DEF 14A proxy statement for CEO total compensation under Regulation S-K Item 402, and the 10-K for revenue, market cap, and employee count. We report the disclosed CEO total only and never estimate it. All filings are available on the SEC EDGAR system at https://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml.
Adobe CEO Pay Details
Total compensation, multi-year history, and peer comparison
Microsoft CEO Pay Details
Total compensation, multi-year history, and peer comparison
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Source: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, DEF 14A filings via EDGAR. Public domain.
Last updated 2026-04-06 · comparing Adobe (ADBE) and Microsoft (MSFT).