Microsoft cracks down on employee AI use after one worker spent $28,000 in 28 days
Microsoft is monitoring employee AI token spending after internal data showed one worker racking up $28,000 in a month.
The data came from internal spreadsheets that employees use to voluntarily share compensation details such as salaries, bonuses and stock awards. According to TechRadar, citing Gadget Review, the spreadsheet gained a new column in 2026 for monthly AI usage, allowing workers to track their spending in U.S. dollars on AI consumption.
Nearly 600 U.S. workers contributed to the spreadsheet, with about 350 sharing their AI usage figures. Microsoft employs more than 223,000 people globally, and participation was voluntary and self-reported, so the data is not representative of the entire workforce.
The median reported usage was around $300 per employee per month, making the $28,000 figure an outlier or a possible mistake. Usage varied by department: CoreAI had the highest median at $975, followed by Security at $526, Microsoft AI at $490, Cloud and AI at $325, Experiences and Devices at $250, Azure at $241, and Customer and Partner Solutions at $134. Individual spending reached as high as $16,000 within CoreAI, $15,000 within Cloud and AI, and $10,000 within Security.
Microsoft is said to be monitoring token consumption value more closely to track individuals who use large amounts of tokens, following years of encouraging employees to use AI. This has contributed to a trend dubbed 'tokenmaxxing,' where users deliberately consume large amounts of tokens to become visible on tracking dashboards—a practice also seen at Amazon, according to the report.
CoreAI Executive Vice President Jay Parikh said in an internal memo: 'Tokenmaxxing is not what we are optimizing for. I want all of us focused on maximising outcomes that move the needle for our customers and our business.'