It's almost unheard of for there to be a 6 yoe principal but yes the money is right, Microsoft pays a lot lower than you'd expect if you went in thinking they pay like FAANG. And there's a massive cliff after 4 years due to virtually no refresher, there's principals who don't even crack 300k. (also principal is what other companies would call staff)

Yes, different companies define levels differently. Microsoft's principal and Linkedin's staff can be a senior in another company, hence why I include the yoe as it says more about the requirements. Also, Microsoft's salary is in the low end compared to other companies in similar role and yoe, but salary is only one factor I suppose. They historically offer better wlb in general, though this might vary teams from teams.