Who introduced OKRs to Google after learning the approach at Intel?

John Doerr introduced OKRs to Google after learning the approach at Intel.

Doerr joined Intel in 1974 and learned the framework in a course taught by Intel president Andrew Grove. At Intel, the method was associated with Intel Management by Objectives, or iMBOs. Doerr later carried the idea into his work as a venture capitalist at Kleiner Perkins.

In 1999, Doerr introduced the framework to Google, where it became a central management practice. Google used OKRs to connect broad company ambitions with measurable objectives and to make priorities visible across teams. The approach helped the rapidly growing company coordinate work without relying solely on conventional top-down instructions.

A common misconception is that Google invented OKRs. Google made the method famous, but the framework’s development is generally associated with Andrew Grove and Intel. Doerr was the important link who learned it at Intel and helped bring it to Google’s founders and early leadership.