Brownlee, Marques
1993-present · Contribution: 2009-present
Built MKBHD into the most influential technology review channel on YouTube, with over 20 million subscribers, setting industry-wide standards for how consumer electronics are evaluated and presented online
Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Impact on the world
Starting as a high schooler filming product reviews in his bedroom in 2009, Brownlee grew MKBHD into what a former Google senior vice president called “the best technology reviewer on the planet,” reaching 10 million subscribers by December 2019 and over 20 million by 2025; his cinematic production style — custom camera rigs, scripted narration, rigorous side-by-side testing — has been widely copied across the YouTube tech-review ecosystem and is credited with shaping how companies like Apple, Samsung, and Google present new products, since his early access reviews often set the first public narrative around a launch. He expanded into a media company with the Waveform podcast, invests as chief creative partner and board member at accessories company Ridge, and was named to TIME's 2024 “100 Most Influential People in AI” list and its 2025 TIME100 Creators list.
Life & background
Born December 3, 1993, and raised in Maplewood, New Jersey, Brownlee began posting tech videos in January 2009 as a sophomore at Columbia High School, joining YouTube under the handle MKBHD (his initials plus “HD” for high definition). He studied business and information technology at Stevens Institute of Technology, graduating in 2015 and becoming a full-time YouTuber; he later received the university's Young Alumni Achievement Award and delivered its 2024 commencement address, earning an honorary doctorate of business administration. Beyond tech reviewing, Brownlee is a professional ultimate frisbee player for the New York Empire, part of three UFA championship teams (2019, 2022, 2023), and was named the Shorty Awards' “Creator of the Decade” in 2018.
Sources
- TIME; Fast Company
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