GoPro shares surge as AI hardware company Starman Optical plans $285M acquisition

GoPro, the company that once defined an entire category of action cameras before smartphones ate its lunch, just found itself a lifeline from the most unexpected corner of tech: AI data center hardware.

Starman Optical, a manufacturer of optical transceivers used in AI data centers, announced a merger agreement with GoPro on September 1, 2026. The deal values GoPro’s outstanding shares at $285 million in cash, or roughly $1.14 per share. That price represents a 30% premium over the stock’s previous close, and the market responded by sending shares up as much as 80% in pre-market trading before settling around 40-50% higher by the close.

From action cameras to AI infrastructure

Under the terms of the agreement, Starman Optical will acquire a 90% stake in GoPro while existing shareholders retain approximately 10% equity in the combined public entity. The merged company is expected to remain listed on Nasdaq, with the transaction anticipated to close by year-end pending regulatory approvals.

The strategic logic centers on GoPro’s intellectual property rather than its consumer hardware business. The company holds more than 2,500 patents in optics and imaging, a portfolio that turns out to be surprisingly valuable when you’re building optical components for AI data centers, defense systems, and robotics platforms.

The combined company plans to expand across consumer, commercial, and defense applications, with a particular emphasis on onshoring critical optics hardware manufacturing in the US.

The Markiplier factor

The stock’s wild ride actually started a day before the merger announcement. On August 31, GoPro shares jumped 43% after a filing revealed that YouTuber Mark “Markiplier” Fischbach had accumulated an 8.5% stake in the company, making him its largest outside investor.

The one-two punch of a celebrity investor disclosure followed immediately by a merger announcement created the kind of momentum that traders dream about. GoPro shares effectively doubled over two trading sessions.

A company that needed saving

Earlier in 2026, founder Nicholas Woodman put $20 million of his own money into the company. The company had been conducting strategic reviews before the Starman merger answered that question definitively.

The $285 million cash component also addresses GoPro’s balance sheet problems directly, with proceeds expected to help repay outstanding debts.

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