Side-by-side compensation breakdown with equity vesting projections
Stock growth applies to existing granted shares only. Future grants are dollar-denominated (shares adjust to price at grant time). Each Google refresh vests over 4 years (25%/yr). MSFT refreshers vest 5%/qtr over 5 years (20%/yr), stacking up to 5 concurrent grants.
| Scenario | Google 7yr Pre-tax | Google After-tax | Google NPV | MSFT 7yr Pre-tax | MSFT After-tax | MSFT NPV | Delta (NPV) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bear (GOOG 5%, MSFT 5%) | $14,758K | $9,593K | $7,831K | $11,322K | $7,359K | $6,140K | Google +$1,691K |
| Base (GOOG 15%, MSFT 12%) | $15,205K | $9,883K | $8,077K | $11,909K | $7,741K | $6,459K | Google +$1,618K |
| Bull (GOOG 25%, MSFT 20%) | $15,701K | $10,206K | $8,348K | $12,580K | $8,177K | $6,856K | Google +$1,492K |
| Year | GOOG Cash | GOOG Equity | GOOG Total | MSFT Cash | MSFT Equity | MSFT Total | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $584K | $2,016K | $2,600K | $734K | $1,250K | $1,984K | G +$616K |
| 2027 | $568K | $1,766K | $2,334K | $546K | $1,515K | $2,061K | G +$273K |
| 2028 | $577K | $1,809K | $2,386K | $471K | $1,798K | $2,269K | G +$117K |
| 2029 | $586K | $1,540K | $2,126K | $471K | $2,101K | $2,572K | M +$446K |
| 2030 | $594K | $1,390K | $1,984K | $471K | $460K | $931K | G +$1,053K |
| 2031 | $603K | $1,280K | $1,883K | $471K | $575K | $1,046K | G +$837K |
| 2032 | $612K | $1,280K | $1,892K | $471K | $575K | $1,046K | G +$846K |
| Component | Microsoft | |
|---|---|---|
| Level / Title | L8 / Director, Software Engineering | Partner, Software Engineering Manager (Level 69) |
| Base Salary | $400,000 | $325,000 |
| Annual Bonus | $120,000 (30% target) | $146,250 (45% target, range 0-90%) |
| Signing Bonus | — | $350,000 total: $150K at start, $125K at 6mo, $75K at 12mo |
| 2026 Equity Refresh | $1,080,000 (4yr vest) | — |
| Foundation Grant | $200,000/yr (12mo vest) | — |
| On-hire Equity | — | $5,000,000 (4yr, 1yr cliff) |
| Annual Refresher | Based on performance | $575,000/yr modeled (5yr vest at 5%/qtr) |
| 2026 TCA (Award Value) | $1,864,000 | N/A |
This is money already granted that vests over the next 2–4 years if you stay. These are not hypothetical future awards — they are committed equity that converts to cash on a monthly schedule.
The Microsoft offer needs to exceed Google's comp by enough to offset this forfeiture. The $275K Year 1 signing bonus covers just 7% of the loss.
Net forfeiture after MSFT signing bonus offset: ~$3.5M
Driven by 5 overlapping grant cycles creating a peak vesting period ($2.0M equity alone). Microsoft's 45% bonus ($134K prorated) helps but doesn't close the gap. MSFT's own model confirms Year 1 at $1,984K.
By 2029, Microsoft's comp hits $2.57M (on-hire + 3 stacking refreshers + bonus) while Google declines to $2.13M as older grants expire. This is MSFT's peak — and the only year it leads.
If Microsoft doesn't work out in the first year, you've forfeited $3.85M in Google equity and received only $325K + $134K + $275K = $734K in cash (no equity vest yet). The risk is asymmetric.
When the $5M on-hire exhausts after Year 4, MSFT drops from $2.57M to $931K — a 64% comp cut. Google stabilizes at ~$1.9M from flat refreshes. MSFT post-cliff comp ($1.05M with bonus + refreshers) is roughly half of Google's steady state.