| Human Profile | |
| Name: | Mark Braxton Rober |
| Birthday: | March 11, 1980 (age 45 years), Born in Brea, California |
| Education: | Brea Olinda High School (Diploma) Brigham Young University (BS), Mechanical Engineering University of Southern California (MS), Mechanical Engineering |
| Subscribers: | 72.4M |
| Views: | 15,276,494,209 |
| YouTube Revenue: | $76.4M - $183.3M |
| Videos: | 243 |
| Channel Created: | October 2011 |
Overview
Mark Braxton Rober is an American engineer, YouTuber, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, widely recognized for his popular science and engineering-themed YouTube channel featuring elaborate gadgets and experiments, including glitter bomb traps and squirrel obstacle courses; his prior work as a NASA engineer on the Curiosity rover and an Apple product designer; founding Digital Dudz and the educational technology company CrunchLabs; co-founding major environmental campaigns like #TeamTrees and #TeamSeas; and his advocacy for autism awareness.
Latest News (Dec 28, 2025): Mark Rober's CrunchLabs, in collaboration with T-Mobile and Google Pixel, continues to operate the SAT GUS satellite, which was actively taking "Space Selfies" with user-submitted photos and the Earth in the background as recently as December 25, 2025, orbiting at 17,000 miles per hour.
Early Life and Education
Mark Braxton Rober was born on March 11, 1980, in Orange County, California. Raised in Brea, California, he developed an interest in engineering from a young age, once creating a pair of goggles to prevent tearing up while cutting onions. He graduated from Brea Olinda High School in 1998. Rober went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Brigham Young University and a master’s degree from the University of Southern California.
Engineering Career at NASA and Apple
In 2004, Mark Braxton Rober began a nine-year tenure as an engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). For seven of those years, he was a key member of the team that worked on the Curiosity rover, which is currently on Mars. His work at NASA also included hardware design for several other missions, such as the Mars Science Laboratory.
Following his time at NASA, Rober joined Apple Inc., where he worked for four years as a product designer in the Special Projects Group. While at Apple, he was involved in projects related to virtual reality for self-driving cars and authored several patents.
YouTube Channel and Viral Success
While still an engineer at NASA, Mark Braxton Rober started creating videos. He launched his self-titled YouTube channel in 2011, and his first video, which showcased a Halloween costume that used two iPads to create the illusion of a gaping hole in his torso, went viral, garnering 1.5 million views in a single day. This early success led him to found Digital Dudz, an online company specializing in app-integrated Halloween costumes. The company was profitable quickly, and Rober later sold it to the British company Morphsuits.
His YouTube channel is known for its science- and engineering-themed videos, which often feature elaborate gadgets, experiments, and do-it-yourself projects. Some of his most notable creations include a series of “glitter bomb” traps designed to prank package thieves, which he has collaborated on with actor Macaulay Culkin. He has also gained significant attention for constructing elaborate obstacle courses for squirrels in his backyard.
Philanthropy and Educational Ventures
Mark Braxton Rober is also recognized for his large-scale philanthropic initiatives, often in collaboration with fellow YouTuber MrBeast. These campaigns include #TeamTrees, which successfully raised millions to plant trees, and #TeamSeas, a project aimed at cleaning up oceans and beaches. A subsequent initiative, #TeamWater, was also launched to provide clean drinking water.
In 2022, Rober founded CrunchLabs, an educational technology company that aims to engage children in science and engineering. The company offers subscription boxes containing hands-on engineering projects and challenges, designed to foster an early interest in STEM fields.
Personal Life
Mark Braxton Rober resides in Sunnyvale, California. He has a son, and because his son has autism, Rober is an advocate for autism awareness. He has used his platform to raise funds and support for organizations dedicated to autism research and support, including a fundraising livestream co-hosted with Jimmy Kimmel.