Is GoPro Going Out Of Business? Here's Who Owns The Action Camera Brand Now

For years, GoPro has been a trusted brand, known for producing a variety of action cameras like the Mission 1 Pro, which we reviewed in June 2026. But the manufacturer's status has been questioned recently, with online rumors that GoPro is going out of business. The company isn't actually shutting down, but it is merging with Starman Optical Inc., a privately held U.S. company that develops optical-phonics technology.

Under the terms of this deal, GoPro shareholders would receive a total of $285 million in cash, or $1.14 per share, although that figure could be adjusted when the deal closes. The shareholders would also keep about 10% of the shares in the combined company. Additionally, GoPro's previous debt of around $92 million would be paid off when the merger is completed. GoPro is expected to remain publicly traded on Nasdaq, and the company says it will continue selling and supporting its existing cameras, subscription service, and cloud platform.

GoPro believes that this merger could help bring production of important optical equipment back to the U.S., while also serving customers in more than one sector. As of this writing, the deal is not yet final. It has been approved by the boards of both companies, but GoPro shareholders still have to sign off on it. The companies also need to receive regulatory approval and satisfy other important closing requirements first. However, both GoPro and Starman expect the deal to be completed by the end of 2026.

The proposed merger between GoPro and Starman Inc. will see a new focus for GoPro moving forward. Starman makes optical transceivers used in data-center equipment, and GoPro plans to add those products as it goes into the often-protested AI data center market. The two companies are also expected to pursue work in several different areas, including aerospace and robotics, as Starman's U.S. manufacturing will combine with GoPro's new cameras and optical technology.

Starman recently made some moves in the AI data-center market, with the March 2026 introduction of its Liberty Series optical transceivers. These devices are an important part of data-center networking because they allow high-speed data to move between GPUs, servers, and switches. This is vital for AI systems, which use computing clusters containing tens of thousands of GPUs. Starman is also expanding its U.S. manufacturing capacity for optical transceivers.

GoPro may not be going out of business, but its ownership was in question months before the Starman deal was announced. In May 2026, the company hired an investment bank to advise it on certain deals and a possible sale. This move came after GoPro was approached by several parties about selling, which led to its board making decisions about what to do next. Though GoPro believed a deal could bring value, the company at that time had yet to choose a specific buyer.