> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://aftermath.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Markiplier: 'I Did Not Pump. I Did Not Dump'
- URL: https://aftermath.site/markiplier-says-he-didnt-bump-and-dump-gopro-stock/
- Published: 2026-09-03T20:00:30.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-03T20:26:44.000Z
- Description: It doesn't look great for Markiplier!
- Author: Nicole Carpenter
- Tags: News, markiplier, youtube, gopro, #top-story

Mark Fischbach—that's Markiplier to you!—really likes GoPro cameras. He said as much in a recent YouTube video in which he reviewed [the new GoPro Mission 1 ILS](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8flNsaufwKk&ref=aftermath.site), comparing it to the professional camera he used to film parts of *Iron Lung*. His enthusiasm for GoPro may have gotten Fischbach to Mr. Magoo his way into securities fraud, though he insists that, despite appearances, it’s all a huge coincidence.

GoPro is basically the Kleenex of action cameras, he said, and though the company is seemingly struggling, that's why he decided to invest a whole bunch of money into the company over the past couple months. He's invested so much money, in fact, that he's now GoPro's largest individual shareholder, [Bloomberg reported](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-08-30/youtube-star-markiplier-is-now-gopro-s-largest-shareholder?ref=aftermath.site), with a 8.5% stake. (That's not including the founder, though.) Fischbach *did* mark his YouTube review as sponsored content, but he *didn't* disclose that he had a stake in the company. Still, oops! 

Shortly after Bloomberg published a story about Fischbach and his investment into GoPro, the company announced that it had been acquired for $285 million by tech company Starman Optical, which wants to take GoPro into AI and defense technology. Yikes! That's why everyone thinks Fischbach has done a securities fraud.

Is this actually securities fraud? I certainly don't know. But it isn't a great look, and Fischbach has [said as much in a broadcast on Wednesday](https://www.youtube.com/live/OJOyJtavpXs?t=147s&ref=aftermath.site). "I'm going to talk about the situation that unfolded in the past few days, which is just a fascinating string of coincidences," Fischbach said. "I can see if people were just looking from news articles being like, 'Huh, well, that seems awfully suspicious.'"

Fischbach said he invested in GoPro because it's undervalued. [Bloomberg reported](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-08-30/youtube-star-markiplier-is-now-gopro-s-largest-shareholder?ref=aftermath.site) that GoPro shares were down "more than 90% over the past five years;" [GoPro itself said](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-08-30/youtube-star-markiplier-is-now-gopro-s-largest-shareholder?ref=aftermath.site) there's doubt about the company's future, ahead of the acquisition announcement. Bloomberg said Fischbach started buying stock earlier in the year (while begging for a sponsorship), then got a sponsorship with GoPro after visiting its offices. By Aug. 20, [Fischbach's securities filing was published](https://d18rn0p25nwr6d.cloudfront.net/CIK-0001500435/ea882bb8-af00-456a-8861-3fff06551f42.pdf?ref=aftermath.site), in which he reported having acquired all those shares.

The interview with Bloomberg, he said, was held a week earlier. He had no idea when it was to be published, he said in the video. The article came out Aug. 30, and GoPro stock prices went up by Monday, when the stock market opened. Tuesday, there's the acquisition announcement. Business Insider said the stock reached a high of $1.64 on Tuesday, 173% up from Friday. There's been interest, the publication said, from meme stock traders, because it's cheap right now. 

Some have accused Fischbach of a "pump and dump" scheme, in which stock is artificially inflated to make quick profit. He said that's not the case: "That would have required me to have dumped. I did not buy during this time. I did not sell during this time. I did not invest for the purpose of making money in this."

He continued: "This is a terrible idea what I was doing, a very dangerous investment. But I did it because I had a very successful movie and I wanted to put my money towards something that possibly could help other people with their cinematic adventures and their journeys."

The GoPro acquisition by Starman has certainly made that a bit iffy. GoPro founder and CEO Nicholas Woodman added that GoPro's experience in "advanced optics" are something he hopes to "grow across consumer, commercial, and defense markets," "addressing important areas of national security related to cameras, optics, and AI infrastructure." GoPro has been known largely for its consumer cameras. Content creators love them. The AI and defense security flip feels jarring. For Fischbach, he said in his YouTube response that he's out if GoPro stops selling cameras or starts getting into Flock-like cameras. 

"I did not know and I would not have endorsed \[the acquisition,\]" he said. "I'm going to take my tiny voting share, \[...\] and I'm going to vote against the merger."