Markiplier GoPro trading claims: What the YouTuber said after $285M merger sent stock soaring

YouTube star and filmmaker Mark “Markiplier” Fischbach has responded to speculation that he knew about GoPro’s upcoming merger before building an 8.5% stake in the company. Markiplier became GoPro’s largest individual shareholder after accumulating 13.5 million Class A shares. The disclosure came shortly before GoPro announced a $285 million merger with Starman Optical. GoPro’s stock then surged, making the timing of Markiplier’s investment a major talking point online. Markiplier has denied having any inside information and said he had been buying the stock for months because he genuinely believed in GoPro’s cameras.Markiplier denies knowing about GoPro mergerThe timing of the events led some people online to question whether Markiplier knew about the deal before it was announced. Several posts on X speculated that his investment could have been connected to inside information.Markiplier addressed those claims during a YouTube livestream. He acknowledged why some people might interpret the situation that way but firmly denied knowing about the merger.“('Insider trading confirmed,' said a viewer) Uh no, I have to say that straight up. I know, but again, I see how it could be interpreted that way.”He also clarified that he did not suddenly buy GoPro stock after news of his investment became public.“I did not buy it on Sunday. I did not buy anything on Sunday. I had started collecting stock months ago, right? Months ago.”Markiplier said the ownership filing had already been submitted on August 20. He added that the process had started on July 23.“Even the filing, the filing which is required by the SEC for public ownership, I filed that, or it was filed, August 20, which you can find on GoPro’s website. I started that process July 23, right? It just took a long time to get there.”The filing shows that Markiplier held about 8.5% of GoPro’s Class A shares. The stake made him the company’s largest individual shareholder.Markiplier also said the merger itself was news to him. He claimed he did not know he had become the largest shareholder until the information appeared publicly.“I knew that I owned a good amount. I did not know that I was the single largest shareholder. So, when that article came out, that was news to me.”Why Markiplier invested in GoProMarkiplier’s investment was closely connected to his interest in GoPro’s cameras. He recently reviewed the company’s Mission 1 ILS camera and compared it with a much more expensive RED camera.In the review, he praised the GoPro while highlighting its much lower price.“The GoPro Mission looks amazing. You can see the speed difference between them if slow motion is what you need. This at one-tenth the price is kicking the RED camera’s a**. Sometimes this footage looks better. I’m not blowing smoke. I’m not paid to say that.”The review included a paid promotion notice and an affiliate purchasing link, but his 8.5% ownership was not disclosed in that video. That omission became another part of the discussion surrounding his investment.GoPro announced its Starman Optical merger on September 1. Under the deal, GoPro shareholders will receive a combined $285 million in cash, or $1.14 per share, while existing shareholders will retain around 10% of the combined company. GoPro also plans to expand into AI infrastructure, government, defense, robotics and aerospace while continuing to support its existing consumer products.Markiplier said the new direction was not what he had invested in.“If [GoPro] pivots away from making cameras, I’m not gonna be on board with that because, again, the only reason I invested in the first place was for the cameras.”He also said he was “genuinely sad” about the merger because he wanted GoPro to succeed through its camera business.“I wasn’t lying about anything I said in the video because the camera is legitimately good. I don’t know where it’s going. I don’t know what’s going to happen with it in the end. I think that it’s just sad. I’m genuinely sad because I really wanted GoPro to succeed because this is such a fun, cool little camera that can do so much.”Markiplier said he plans to vote against the merger, although he admitted his voting power is limited.“I’m going to take my tiny voting share, which is about 0.5%, I think, of the voting control of GoPro, and I’m going to vote against the merger, but it’s not going to do anything.”As of his livestream, Markiplier said he had not sold his GoPro shares. He also stressed that he did not make the investment with the intention of making money from a sudden stock surge.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.