Marques Brownlee, born December 3, 1993, is an American tech reviewer, YouTuber, podcaster, and professional ultimate frisbee player.
Known globally as MKBHD, he built the most-subscribed technology-focused channel on YouTube.
In 2013, a former senior vice president of Google called him “the best technology reviewer on the planet right now.”
Who is Marques Brownlee?
Marques Keith Brownlee, professionally known as MKBHD, is an American YouTuber, influencer, and professional ultimate frisbee player.
His channel focuses on in-depth technology reviews covering smartphones, laptops, cameras, and other consumer electronics.
MKBHD stands for Marques Keith Brownlee High Definition. His YouTube channel, which he created on March 21, 2008, has surpassed 20 million subscribers and billions of total video views as of 2025. He reached 10 million subscribers on December 18, 2019.
Beyond YouTube, Brownlee co-hosts the Waveform: The MKBHD Podcast with Andrew Manganelli, a weekly show covering consumer tech and product reviews.
He also produced Retro Tech, a YouTube Original series with Vox Media Studios, released in December 2019.
In 2024, Time magazine named him to its TIME100 Most Influential People in AI list. He won the Shorty Award for Creator of the Decade at the 10th Shorty Awards in 2018.
Early Life of Marques Brownlee
Marques Brownlee grew up in Maplewood, New Jersey, raised in a family that emphasized academics, athletics, and the arts. His parents, Marlon Brownlee and Jeaniene Brownlee, supported their children’s pursuits from an early age.
His mother Jeaniene, who has a background in finance, later became his business manager and CFO of MKBHD, Inc. His father Marlon works as an IT consultant. Brownlee grew up with one younger sister, Simone Brownlee.
The family home had one television in the living room and no video games. Marques’s parents pushed their children toward the three As: academics, athletics, and artistic pursuits. For Marques, the art was playing trombone in band, orchestra, and jazz ensemble.
He also played golf from a young age and pursued ultimate frisbee. Both sports shaped his competitive nature before his YouTube career took off.
Marques Brownlee Age
Marques Brownlee is 32 years old as of June 25, 2026, born on December 3, 1993. His zodiac sign is Sagittarius.
In 2024, he delivered the undergraduate commencement speech at the Stevens Institute of Technology and received an honorary doctorate of business administration.
Marques Brownlee Ethnicity and Nationality
Brownlee holds American nationality and grew up in Maplewood, New Jersey. His ethnicity is African-American, as confirmed across multiple public profiles and interviews.
He has been publicly open about his identity as a Black creator in the tech space. In 2020, he discussed the topic of racial representation in his field through his social media channels.
Marques Brownlee Height and Weight
Marques Brownlee stands at 6 feet 3 inches tall, which is approximately 1.90 meters. His official UFA player profile for the New York Empire lists his height as 6 feet 3 inches.
His listed playing weight is 175 lbs, which is approximately 79 kg, per his professional ultimate frisbee stats.
He is known for his tall, athletic frame, which serves him well both on the frisbee field and in front of the camera.
Marques Brownlee Education
Brownlee attended Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey, graduating in 2011. He was an honor student and also played ultimate frisbee and golf during his time there.
After high school, he enrolled at the Howe School at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey. He majored in Business and Information Technology with a minor in Information Systems and Marketing.
Brownlee graduated from Stevens in May 2015 and immediately shifted to YouTube full-time.
He received the Young Alumni Achievement Award from Stevens just three years after graduation. In May 2024, Stevens invited him back to deliver the undergraduate commencement speech, and the university awarded him an honorary doctorate of business administration.
Marques Brownlee Career
Early Career
Brownlee joined YouTube on March 21, 2008, while still in high school. He began uploading videos in January 2009, initially reviewing products he already owned using screencasting software.
His first product review was of the HP Pavilion DV70. Early content covered hardware tutorials and freeware, attracting a small but growing audience interested in practical tech coverage. After uploading his first 100 videos, Brownlee had only 74 subscribers.
By 2012, his work gained wider recognition when Engadget featured his tour of the then-new cloud storage service Insync. That exposure brought new viewers to his channel and established him as a credible voice in technology media.
In November 2013, one of his most viral early videos showed the self-healing ability of the LG G Flex. The video received over one million views on its first day.
Breakthrough and Viral Growth
In December 2013, Brownlee conducted his first major celebrity interview with Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside. This marked the beginning of a long series of high-profile interviews that would become a signature part of the MKBHD brand.
His video review and scratch test of a rumored sapphire display for the iPhone 6, uploaded on July 7, 2014, went viral immediately.
It was featured on The Verge, Forbes, HuffPost, CNET, Time magazine, and NBC News. That same year, Brownlee launched the Smartphone Awards series.
He has since interviewed some of the most prominent figures in technology and public life, including Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Kobe Bryant, Barack Obama, Sundar Pichai, Tim Cook, and Craig Federighi.
In 2013, former Google senior vice president Vic Gundotra called him “the best technology reviewer on the planet right now.”
By 2017, he had grown his team by making his first full-time hire, producer Andrew Manganelli, who later became his podcast co-host.
His studio operation expanded to a professional facility in Kearny, New Jersey, using RED cinema cameras producing content at 8K resolution.
Recent Work
In August 2019, Brownlee launched the Waveform: The MKBHD Podcast with co-host Andrew Manganelli. The podcast covers consumer electronics, product reviews, and tech industry interviews.
Retro Tech, his YouTube Original series produced by Vox Media Studios, premiered on December 2, 2019. The show explores iconic technologies from the past and their cultural impact.
In April 2023, Brownlee collaborated with footwear brand Atoms to create the Sneaker 251, a high-top shoe named after the length of his first YouTube video.
In February 2024, he joined accessories company Ridge as a board member and chief creative partner. His Auto Focus channel, dedicated to electric vehicles and car technology, has grown to over 1 million subscribers.
In September 2024, he launched the Panels app for iOS and Android, offering curated wallpapers. The app initially faced criticism for its subscription pricing, which Brownlee later reduced significantly.
In 2025, Brownlee participated in the Creator Classic, a golf event organized by the PGA Tour for YouTube golf influencers.
Marques Brownlee Net Worth
Marques Brownlee’s estimated net worth is $20 million as of 2026. His income comes from multiple streams including YouTube ad revenue, brand sponsorships, podcast earnings, merchandise, the Panels app, and his role at Ridge.
Major brand partnerships have included Google, Samsung, DJI, Sony, NVIDIA, Adobe, and AMD. His tech niche commands some of the highest CPM rates on YouTube, making ad revenue particularly strong.
He works out of a professional studio in Kearny, New Jersey, equipped with cinema-grade RED cameras and robotic camera systems.
Marques Brownlee Awards and Recognition
Brownlee received the Creator of the Decade award at the 10th Annual Shorty Awards in April 2018. He was honored in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in its social media category in December 2020.
In September 2024, Time magazine placed him on the cover of the TIME100 AI list, recognizing him as one of the 100 most influential people in artificial intelligence.
That same year, Stevens Institute of Technology awarded him an honorary doctorate of business administration.
He has also won the Streamy Award for Technology in both 2019 and 2020.
Marques Brownlee Partner
Marques Brownlee has been in a long-term relationship with Nikki Hair since 2016. The two were first publicly spotted together on August 12, 2016, when Hair shared a photo of them holding a trophy.
Hair is a professional ultimate frisbee player who competes for NY Gridlock Ultimate. She grew up in a large family and first played ultimate frisbee at Drew University.
Both Brownlee and Hair are active in the professional ultimate frisbee community. As of 2026, Brownlee has not publicly announced a marriage.
He has no publicly confirmed children.
Marques Brownlee Social Media
Brownlee is active across multiple platforms under the handle @mkbhd. On Instagram, he has over 5 million followers and regularly posts tech content and personal updates.
His main YouTube channel surpassed 20 million subscribers and billions of total views as of 2025. He also runs secondary channels including Auto Focus, The Studio, WVFRM Podcast, and Waveform Clips.
On X (formerly Twitter), he is active at @MKBHD. He also posts on Threads under the same @mkbhd handle.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Marques Brownlee’s net worth?
Marques Brownlee’s estimated net worth is $20 million as of 2026, earned through YouTube, sponsorships, his podcast, merchandise, the Panels app, and his partnership with Ridge.
How old is Marques Brownlee?
Marques Brownlee is 32 years old as of June 25, 2026, born on December 3, 1993, in Maplewood, New Jersey.
Who is Marques Brownlee dating?
Marques Brownlee has been dating Nikki Hair, a professional ultimate frisbee player, since 2016. As of 2026, the two are not publicly confirmed to be married.
What is Marques Brownlee famous for?
Brownlee is famous for his technology review YouTube channel MKBHD, which has over 20 million subscribers. He is also a professional ultimate frisbee player and 2022 WFDF World Champion.
Where was Marques Brownlee born?
Marques Brownlee was born in Maplewood, New Jersey, United States, on December 3, 1993.
What does MKBHD stand for?
MKBHD stands for Marques Keith Brownlee High Definition, combining his initials with HD for the high-definition quality of his video production.
The Bottom Line
Brownlee reached 10 million YouTube subscribers in December 2019 and has since grown to over 20 million across all channels, earning recognition on the TIME100 AI list in 2024.
His Retro Tech series on YouTube, produced with Vox Media Studios and released in December 2019, brought his work to a new mainstream audience.
He grew up in Maplewood, New Jersey, in a household with no video games, where his parents pushed academics, sports, and the arts.
That background shaped a disciplined approach to content that prioritizes quality over volume, with one carefully produced video released per week.
In 2025, Brownlee participated in the PGA Tour Creator Classic and continued expanding the MKBHD brand through his podcast, Auto Focus channel, and partnership with Ridge.
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