GoPro essentially created the action camera category. Before GoPro, capturing high-quality footage while surfing, skiing, or mountain biking required expensive rigs and complicated setups. Nick Woodman built the first GoPro camera because he wanted to film himself surfing during a trip to Australia, and that personal frustration became a multi-billion-dollar company.
The HERO line is GoPro’s core product. The latest models shoot 5.3K video with hypersmooth stabilization that eliminates the shaky footage problem that plagued earlier action cameras. The cameras are waterproof, shockproof, and small enough to mount almost anywhere — helmets, handlebars, surfboards, dog harnesses, you name it.
GoPro’s Max camera shoots 360-degree footage, letting you choose the framing in post-production. This reframe capability means you never miss a shot because the camera pointed the wrong direction. The company’s software does a solid job of making 360 content easy to edit.
The company went through rough years after its 2014 IPO. An ill-fated drone (the Karma) was recalled, the stock price crashed, and GoPro struggled to convince people to upgrade cameras annually. CEO Woodman made painful cuts and refocused on what GoPro does best: making the world’s best action camera.
GoPro’s subscription service has become an important revenue stream, offering cloud storage, camera replacement protection, and discounts on new hardware. This recurring revenue helps smooth out the boom-and-bust cycle of hardware launches.
Based in San Mateo, California, GoPro has found stability by accepting its role as a focused hardware company rather than trying to become a media platform. The HERO cameras remain the gold standard in action photography, and the brand name has become synonymous with the category itself.
