Mark Rober Net Worth: From NASA Engineer to YouTube Science Star

Mark Rober is a YouTuber, inventor, and engineer who has a net worth of $25 million. Mark Rober is best known for his YouTube videos focusing on popular science and DIY tools. Before becoming a star on the social media platform, he worked at NASA for nine years as an engineer, during which time he contributed to the development of the Mars Curiosity rover. Rober also worked at Apple for four years as a product designer in the Special Projects Group.

Who is Mark Rober? 

Mark Rober is a former NASA engineer and popular science YouTuber known for his creative engineering projects and educational videos. His channel features a mix of entertaining experiments, innovative gadgets, and viral challenges, all aimed at making science and engineering more accessible and fun. Rober is particularly famous for his elaborate “scientific prank” videos and collaborations with other creators.

Mark Rober Early Life and Education

Mark Rober was born in either 1980 or 1981 in Orange County, California. He became interested in engineering early on in his life, and demonstrated both his curiosity and industriousness by creating a pair of goggles that prevented the buildup of tears while one cut onions. Rober took this passion and skill to his higher education, attending Brigham Young University as a mechanical engineering major. He went on to enroll in graduate school at the University of Southern California, from which he earned his master’s degree.

Mark Rober Career Beginnings

In 2004, Rober joined the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at NASA. He spent nine years working there, seven of which were focused on the development of the Curiosity rover, an automobile-sized rover designed to explore the Gale crater on Mars. Additionally, Rober developed hardware for a number of missions launched by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, including the Mars Science Laboratory, the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory, and the Soil Moisture Active Passive. At NASA, Rober was among the main architects of the comprehensive knowledge-capture wiki known as JPL Wired. Further, he published a case study on applying wiki technology in high-tech organizations in order to record corporate knowledge.

Mark Rober YouTube Channel

Rober uploaded his first video to YouTube in October of 2011. In the video, he exhibited a custom-made Halloween costume created using a pair of iPads that made it appear as if his body was transparent. This video ended up going viral, racking up over one million views in a single day. Rober’s channel continued to take off, drawing several millions of views and subscribers over the subsequent years. In December of 2018, he had one of his most successful uploads with a video showcasing his prank on package thieves, which involved the thieves being sprayed with a fetid odor and doused in glitter. In just one day, the video accumulated 25 million views. Later, Rober found out that two of the thieves were friends of someone he had hired to catch the real package thieves. Over the following two years, he made and presented upgraded versions of the glitter bomb.

Mark Rober Personal Life

With his wife and son, Rober resides in Sunnyvale, California. Due to his son’s autism diagnosis, he does advocacy work to raise awareness of the condition.

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Apple Inc Special Projects Group

In 2018, it was revealed that Rober joined Apple to work on their VR technology and self driving cars project starting in 2015. Though he didn’t stay for long, during his 2 years working there, he made significant contributions to the technology of VR and many Apple VR headset users have Rober to thank for.

Science Educator Rober

As of 2025, Rober is now fully committed to educating people about technology and fostering people’s curiosity to learn science. From DIY hacks to interesting projects, Rober shares his fun experiments and findings with the rest of the world. In addition to teaching millions of people, he’s a philanthropist who is part of the Team Trees and Team Seas campaigns. His videos are very well-produced and of high quality. Hence, Mark’s video views average 20-50 million per video as of 2025. However, Rober has stated that he mostly edits his own videos and is fully involved in the creation process.

Mark Rober Age

Mark Braxton Rober, also known as Mark Rober, was born on March 11, 1980, in Orange County, California, in the United States. Mark Rober’s parents reared him in Orange County.

Other Endeavors

Due to the viral success of his 2011 Halloween YouTube video, Rober established the online Halloween costume company Digital Dudz in 2012; it specializes in app-integrated costumes of the kind seen in his original video. Over its first three weeks of operation, the company amassed $250,000 in revenue, and by 2013 was selling its products in retail stores, including Party City. Digital Dudz’s costumes were featured on a number of channels and television programs as well, including CNN, Discovery Channel, and “The Today Show.” In 2013, Rober sold the company to the UK-based spandex company Morphsuits. Also prompted by one of his YouTube videos, Rober collaborated with software engineer Jim Browning and multiple state and federal entities to use the glitter bomb he created to target and arrest money mules at scam-call centers.

FAQs

What is Mark Rober famous for?
Mark Rober is famous for his viral YouTube videos showcasing creative engineering projects, science experiments, and fun “scientific pranks.”

Did Mark Rober work at NASA?
Yes, Mark Rober worked at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory for nine years, contributing to the development of the Mars Curiosity rover and other space missions.

How did Mark Rober start his YouTube career?
Mark Rober uploaded his first YouTube video in 2011, featuring a transparent Halloween costume made with iPads, which quickly went viral.

What is Mark Rober net worth?
As of 2025, Mark Rober’s net worth is estimated to be around $25 million, largely due to his YouTube channel and entrepreneurial ventures.

What charitable causes does Mark Rober support?
Mark Rober is involved in environmental and educational campaigns like Team Trees and Team Seas, aiming to raise funds for tree planting and ocean cleanup.

In Short

Mark Rober is a pioneering engineer, inventor, and YouTube sensation who combines his expertise in science and engineering with creativity to inspire millions. From his NASA work to viral YouTube videos and philanthropic efforts, he continues to educate, entertain, and make a positive impact globally.

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