John Doerr
Director at GOOGL
Board
About John Doerr
L. John Doerr (age 73) is an independent director of Alphabet (Google) who has served on the board since 1999. He is Chair of Kleiner Perkins (since March 2016) and previously served as a General Partner at the firm since 1980; he holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering from Rice University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Doerr brings global business leadership, extensive financial/investment expertise as a venture capitalist, and deep technology-sector knowledge; he is also the author of Measure What Matters and Speed & Scale . Alphabet’s board has determined he is independent (all nominees other than Larry Page, Sergey Brin, and Sundar Pichai are independent) .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kleiner Perkins | Chair | Mar 2016–present | Global business leadership and extensive financial/investment expertise |
| Kleiner Perkins | General Partner | Aug 1980–Mar 2016 | Venture capital leadership across technology sectors |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| DoorDash, Inc. | Director (public company) | Current | Current other public company directorship |
| Climate Imperative Foundation | Board of Directors | Current | Nonprofit board service |
| Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability | Advisory Council | Current | Advisory role in sustainability |
| Amyris, Inc. | Director (public company) | Former (past 5 years) | Former public board (last 5 years) |
| Bloom Energy Corporation | Director (public company) | Former (past 5 years) | Former public board (last 5 years) |
| Coursera, Inc. | Director (public company) | Former (past 5 years) | Former public board (last 5 years) |
| QuantumScape Corporation | Director (public company) | Former (past 5 years) | Former public board (last 5 years) |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Leadership Development, Inclusion and Compensation Committee (member). Alphabet’s Compensation Committee currently comprises Robin L. Washington (Chair), L. John Doerr, and K. Ram Shriram; all are independent under Nasdaq/SEC rules .
- Independence: Independent director under Alphabet’s board independence standards .
- Attendance: The board held six meetings in 2024; each director attended at least 75% of all board and applicable committee meetings, except Larry Page (who missed two special meetings). Doerr met the ≥75% attendance threshold .
- Years of service: Director since 1999 (approximately 26 years as of 2025) .
- Committee structure quality: All key committees (Audit and Compliance, LDICC/Compensation, Nominating and Corporate Governance) are 100% independent and chaired by independent directors .
Fixed Compensation
Alphabet’s non-employee director pay program combines cash and time-vested stock units (Class C GSUs). Standard ongoing compensation paid in arrears included a $75,000 annual cash retainer and a $350,000 annual GSU grant for service between the 2023 and 2024 annual meetings; GSUs granted on July 3, 2024 vest over ~4 years (1/48th monthly with specified vesting cadence) .
| Year | Fees Earned or Paid in Cash ($) | Stock Awards ($) | All Other Compensation ($) | Total ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 (Doerr) | 75,000 | 370,693 (aggregate grant-date fair value of GSUs, includes incremental dividend-equivalent modification) | — | 445,693 |
Additional details:
- 2024 grant date for non-employee director GSUs: July 3, 2024; grant valuation used June 2024 average closing price to determine share counts; GSUs vest monthly over 48 months with specified monthly dates; immediate vesting upon death .
Performance Compensation
Non-employee director equity is time-based, not performance-based.
| Performance Metric | Applies to Director Compensation? | Details |
|---|---|---|
| PSU/TSR or other performance goals | No | Director equity is Class C GSUs (time-vested); annual director equity grants are not tied to performance metrics |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Current public company board: DoorDash, Inc.
- Former public boards (past 5 years): Amyris, Bloom Energy, Coursera, QuantumScape
- Related party/affiliation context: Alphabet disclosed that CapitalG and GV invested ~$83M (from 2024 through Mar 31, 2025) in private companies where Kleiner Perkins funds (with >10% holdings) were also investors; Doerr is a managing director/member of those funds. Alphabet states Doerr does not have a material interest in the described transactions . Alphabet’s Related Party Transactions Policy requires Audit Committee review and approval with consideration of independence impacts and arm’s-length terms .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Venture capital and investment: Chair of Kleiner Perkins; extensive financial/investment expertise
- Technology sector: In-depth sector knowledge and recognized industry visionary
- Education: B.S. and M.S. in electrical engineering (Rice University); MBA (Harvard Business School)
- Publications: Author of Measure What Matters and Speed & Scale
Equity Ownership
Alphabet reports director and executive beneficial ownership as of April 8, 2025.
| Holder | Class A Shares | Class B Shares | Total Voting Power % |
|---|---|---|---|
| L. John Doerr | 941,285 | 22,348,940 | 1.6% |
Notes:
- Footnote detail: Class A includes shares held via The Austin 1999 Trust (234,560), The Hampton 1999 Trust (234,560), and The Benificus Foundation (402,465). Class B is held by Vallejo Ventures Trust (22,348,940). Doerr is trustee/officer as described; he disclaims pecuniary interest where indicated .
- Director stock ownership guideline: Minimum $1.0 million; all non-employee directors met the requirement as of Dec 31, 2024 .
- Hedging/pledging policy: Alphabet prohibits hedging and pledging of Alphabet securities by directors and others, supporting alignment with shareholders .
Governance Assessment
-
Strengths
- Independent director with deep technology and investing expertise; sits on Compensation Committee overseeing leadership development, human capital, and executive/director pay; committee consists entirely of independent directors and uses independent consultants (Compensia and Semler Brossy) .
- Strong attendance (≥75%) and long service history support institutional knowledge; board structure maintains independent leadership and independent key committees .
- Director pay structure emphasizes equity (time-vested GSUs), with ownership guidelines met, and anti-hedging/pledging policy enhancing shareholder alignment .
-
Potential risks/monitoring items
- Related party exposure via Kleiner Perkins co-investments alongside Alphabet’s CapitalG/GV; Alphabet asserts Audit Committee oversight and that Doerr has no material interest in these transactions, but continued monitoring of co-investment dynamics is prudent given Doerr’s leadership at Kleiner Perkins .
- Long tenure (~26 years) can raise questions about perceived independence over time; mitigated by formal independence determination and independent committee service .
-
RED FLAGS (as disclosed)
- None specifically cited regarding attendance, say-on-pay, or repricing; no director-specific related-party transactions deemed material to Doerr; insider trading policy restricts hedging/pledging (mitigates alignment risks) .