GoPro cameras are manufactured in China, Mexico, and Thailand. As an American company, GoPro outsources its manufacturing to enable quicker growth and scaling.
Hi, I’m Larry, your favorite tech nerd who also happens to be an action camera enthusiast. I got my first GoPro HERO4 Black in 2014 and currently use a GoPro HERO10 Black as my daily shooter. My obsession with GoPros has led me to extensive research on the company.
In this article, I will explain GoPro’s company background, where GoPro designs its cameras, and where the GoPro is manufactured. By the end of this guide, you can consider yourself an expert on GoPro as a business.
Let’s get started!
Contents
GoPro Company Background
Nick Woodman founded GoPro in 2002 and is still CEO and Chairman of the company in 2022. GoPro is a publicly listed company on the NASDAQ under the symbol ‘GPRO’ after its IPO in 2014.
Continuing to grow, GoPro brought in $1.16 billion of revenue in 2021, which was a 30% increase from 2020.
GoPro’s flagship product is the HERO camera with the GoPro HERO10 Black as the latest model. The GoPro MAX is GoPro’s secondary product that records 360-degree footage.
Along with these products, GoPro also sells a variety of camera accessories and lifestyle gear such as backpacks and clothing.
Who Designed the GoPro?
GoPro cameras are currently designed and developed in the United States, China, France, and Romania. Furthermore, GoPro has a user experience-driven approach to product development, and the CEO, Nick Woodman, leads product design.
Nick Woodman has been at the forefront of each model’s design, and he continues to shape each new prototype and model.
GoPro also engages with consumers and opinion leaders in core markets around the globe to receive and implement feedback.
The product development team consists of a hardware engineering team and a software engineering team.
The hardware team is responsible for developing solutions to support the ideas created by the product team. Moreover, the software team develops applications that enhance the functionality of the GoPro cameras.
Where Are GoPro Cameras Made?
GoPro outsources camera manufacturing to contract manufacturers in China, Mexico, and Thailand. As I mentioned earlier, outsourcing allows GoPro to scale faster than if it created its own manufacturing facilities.
The finished products are shipped to fulfillment centers in the United States, Hong Kong, Netherlands, and Singapore that deliver the products to customers around the globe.
There is a common misconception that electronics that are manufactured overseas are of poor quality. This entirely depends on the manufacturer and its factory facilities.
Nowadays, massive tech companies like GoPro have state-of-the-art factories even though the factories are located in China, Mexico, and Thailand. GoPro has a reputation to uphold and investors to satisfy, and the company strives to produce the highest quality products possible.
Is GoPro a Chinese Company?
GoPro is not a Chinese company. It’s an American company that was founded in California. Although a large portion of GoPro cameras are made in China, GoPro, Inc. is an American technology company.
It shouldn’t surprise you that GoPro manufactures its cameras in China. The Chinese economy is a manufacturing powerhouse and manufactures products for the world’s biggest brands such as Apple and Lenovo.
Is It Safe To Buy a GoPro?
Yes, it’s completely safe to purchase a GoPro camera. GoPro is the largest and most reputable action sports camera manufacturer in the world.
With $1.16 billion of revenue in 2021, you can easily tell that buying a GoPro is a safe decision. In my experience, GoPro also has one of the best customer service teams. They’ve been helpful whenever I damage my GoPro and need repairs or a replacement.
They even paid for the shipping when I sent my broken GoPro and got it replaced with a new one.
Where Are GoPro’s Competitors’ Cameras Made?
GoPro’s top competitors include DJI and Insta360. Both DJI and Insta360 are headquartered in Shenzhen, China. Since they are both Chinese companies, their products are manufactured in factories throughout China.
DJI boasts about its highly sophisticated automated assembly lines in its Shenzhen factories.
It’s a common practice for tech companies to manufacture their products in China. If they don’t, their competitors who do manufacture in China can sell their products at a much lower price, pushing the non-Chinese manufacturer out of the market.
FAQs
Here are a few questions that my friends always ask me about GoPro.
Who is GoPro owned by?
The five largest individual shareholders of GoPro are Nick Woodman (CEO), Brian McGee (CFO), Kenneth Goldman (Director), Peter Gotcher (Director), and Zander Lurie (Director).
Notable institutional investors include BlackRock, The Vanguard Group, and Prentice Capital Management.
Are all GoPros made in China?
A large majority of GoPro cameras are made in China, however, there are also GoPro manufacturing factories in Mexico and Thailand.
Are GoPros made in America?
The United States GoPro offices play a significant role in the design and innovation of the camera. However, the products are manufactured outside of America in factories located in China, Mexico, and Thailand.
Where is the GoPro headquarters?
The GoPro corporate office headquarters is located in San Mateo, CA. San Mateo is 20 miles south of San Francisco and sits on the San Francisco Peninsula. GoPro leases all of its properties, and the corporate headquarters is approximately 201,000 square feet.
Closing Thoughts
Like most global tech companies, GoPro also outsources its manufacturing process to areas in the world where manufacturing is cheaper. This allows GoPro to produce more cameras and price them at a lower price point.
I hope you now have a great understanding of how GoPro operates and why the company has been so successful.
Now I’d love to hear from you:
Do you own a GoPro camera and record videos? What action sports do you play? Do you have any other questions about GoPro?
Either way, let me know by dropping a quick comment below.
