Markiplier Just Became GoPro’s Biggest Shareholder

GoPro has spent years trying to recover its footing, but one of YouTube’s biggest creators is betting that the camera company still has something worth saving. Mark Fischbach, better known as Markiplier, has acquired an 8.5% stake in GoPro, making him the company’s largest single shareholder and tying his investment to a broader effort to make filmmaking tools more accessible.

Bloomberg reported that Fischbach became interested after seeing GoPro’s market value fall to roughly $110 million. He told the publication that the company appeared undervalued and that he wants it to succeed. Fischbach is not a professional investor or an activist shareholder. His interest comes largely from using GoPro cameras himself and seeing potential in the company’s latest products.

The investment also comes after Fischbach’s success with Iron Lung, a film he made and distributed outside the traditional Hollywood studio system. The movie reportedly grossed $51 million on a $3 million budget.

GoPro’s Financial Woes

Fischbach’s investment comes at a difficult time for GoPro. The company’s shares have fallen more than 55% in 2026 and more than 90% over the past five years. GoPro announced in May that its board was reviewing strategic alternatives, and the company has since warned of “substantial doubt” about its ability to continue as a going concern over the next 12 months.

Despite those problems, Fischbach continued buying shares. Building an 8.5% position in a public company also required him to become familiar with financial filings and reporting requirements.

His investment is connected to a larger interest in lowering the barriers to filmmaking. Fischbach has also invested in Strada, a company that develops tools for transferring large video files. His goal, according to Bloomberg, is to encourage online creators to move into feature films and larger productions.

That interest helps explain his attention to GoPro’s latest camera.

Why Markiplier Is Betting on GoPro’s New Camera

Fischbach first became interested in GoPro’s next generation of cameras while working on Iron Lung, according to Bloomberg. He used GoPro cameras for behind the scenes footage but did not consider them suitable for the main production.

That changed with GoPro’s Mission 1 Pro ILS, an interchangeable lens camera designed for filmmaking. The camera weighs 6.95 ounces and is small enough to fit into tight spaces while offering video capabilities aimed at a higher end production market. GoPro describes it as a cinema camera.

Fischbach had been trying to get an early look at the camera for months. He attended the National Association of Broadcasters show in Las Vegas in April and approached GoPro’s booth, but the company declined to show him the unreleased product. He subsequently pushed for a sponsorship and continued buying shares.

After eventually getting access to the camera, Fischbach compared its capabilities with more expensive cinema cameras. He argued that its compact size and video specifications could make it useful for creators who cannot justify spending thousands of dollars on larger cinema systems.

For Fischbach, that is the larger opportunity. YouTube has made it relatively easy for filmmakers to distribute their work, but production remains expensive. He told Bloomberg that a basic camera for filmmaking can cost around $7,000 before accounting for additional equipment.

The GoPro investment therefore represents more than a bet on an action camera brand. Fischbach sees an opportunity to make filmmaking equipment smaller, cheaper and easier for internet creators to use.

Whether that vision can help turn around GoPro’s financial position is another question, but the company’s latest camera has at least given one of its biggest users a reason to put his money behind it.

---