Is GoPro For Sale? Possibly

GoPro hasn't been the market leader in action cameras since its heyday in the 2010s, and has suffered falling revenue, layoffs, and more in recent years. Now the company has said it's entertaining "inquiries" into whether it wants to sell the company.

Photo by: GoPro

By: Jonathon Klein

May 19, at 7:49am ET

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GoPro came about just as action sports rose in prominance, and it instantly made GoPro a household name. Honestly, as someone who grew up watching Pastrana, Deegan, Hart, Hawk, Margera, Slater, and others throw down harder than anyone around, GoPro made everyone want to rise to the occasion, too.

I still remember waiting for GoPro launch videos, as the folks cutting them together, splicing in some sick beats, and intercutting from insane stunts the world over was one of the coolest product launch concepts around. Do any of you remember the launch video for the Hero 2 that had The Glitch Mob as the backing track?!

That, however, was 15 years ago now, and the world's changed.

Insta360 and DJI have both taken a big portion of GoPro's market share, and in some cases, all of it. The two competitor brands have been basically eating GoPro's lunch for a while now, and after a number of layoffs, consolidations, and more behind the scenes fall from grace issues, GoPro might be looking for a savior for the once central business for all of action sports.

Seems like GoPro is open to a buyer.

In a press release announcing that GoPro has retained the investment bank Houlihan Lokey in helping it wade these waders, Founder and CEO Nicholas Woodman stated, "We believe GoPro has substantial unrecognized value that can be realized via a sale of the company or other strategic event, and given inbound interest since our announcement it seems others feel similarly. I fully support the effort to review a potential sale of the company to maximize shareholder value, and this process has the full support of GoPro's Board of Directors and management team."

The key phrase in that statement is "inbound interest," as that denotes that someone, or many someones, has been inquiring as to whether GoPro would be up for a merger or outright sale. And given the company's financial situation, as well as loss of market share, now seems the perfect time for a takeover, whether it be hostile or not.

What do you think?

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GoPro's stock price has fallen in the past few years, with a high of around $10 per share to today's $1 and change. Likewise, as mentioned above, while Insta360 and DJI have released product after product that pushes the space forward, the same can't be said about GoPro, which seems to have used up all its engineering prowess during those early days of the late aughts.

There is, however, still a market for action cameras, as action sports haven't lost their luster. It's just gone from YouTube domination to social media takeovers, and with the right management, technology, and hardware, there's room for GoPro to reclaim the top spot. Who or what will buy them, however, remains to be seen.