Mark Rober

If you make content online or use social media frequently for work, it may feel like what you post and how often you post it is dictated by the elusive “algorithm.” You can spend your time chasing trends and trying to keep up with the internet’s ever-changing demands, but at what point does that mean sacrificing the quality of your work? Mark Rober is one of the most successful creators on YouTube, with almost 75 million followers and over 16 billion views. For 15 years, he has only posted one carefully crafted video per month. In this episode, Molly sits down with Mark at the TED Conference to uncover how Mark built his channel to be sustainable over time by prioritizing quality over quantity and staying true to his principles. Mark also reveals his secret to making a viral video, and shares tips for avoiding burnout in a fast-paced industry. Featured guest Follow Mark Rober on Instagram , LinkedIn , TikTok , YouTube , and at CrunchLabs Connect with the team Follow Molly on Instagram , LinkedIn , and at glueclub.com/ Subscribe to Molly’s Substack Lesson Watch WorkLife videos on YouTube at TEDAudioCollective Follow TED on X , Instagram , Facebook , LinkedIn , and TikTok For the full text transcript, visit https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on The Colin and Samir Show we’re joined by Mark Rober, the former NASA engineer turned YouTube’s most prolific scientist, along with his Chief Content Officer, Scott Lewers. In this episode we explore why Mark is spending tens of millions to replace outdated classroom videos with free, high-production STEM content for teachers. We also dig into YouTube vs Netflix and the growing scale of the Mark Rober cinematic universe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former NASA engineer Mark Rober spent 18 months planning the ultimate revenge on scam call centers. The result is a 26-minute masterpiece of engineering meets vigilante justice. In May 2022, Rober released a viral video documenting how he and fellow YouTubers Jim Browning and Trilogy Media targeted four scam call centers in Kolkata, India [citation:1]. The operation was extensive: they hacked the centers' CCTV feeds, recruited reformed scammers as sleeper agents, and smuggled in contraptions rigged with glitter bombs, stink bombs, cockroaches, rats, and smoke bombs [citation:5][citation:6]. The team used a water bottle filled with military-grade fart spray, bathroom soap that dyed hands blue, a lunch box containing 100 cockroaches programmed to scatter, and a fake package that exploded into a pound of fine glitter with simultaneous fart spray release [citation:4][citation:6]. All of this was captured on the hacked CCTV cameras. The result was chaos. Multiple call centers temporarily shut down. Rober estimates they prevented approximately $2 million in fraud during that period [citation:6]. Perhaps most importantly, after the video went viral, Indian police raided one of the exposed centers and arrested 15 scammers [citation:10]. Turn down the lights, put on your headphones, and press play because sometimes justice comes with glitter and cockroaches.

Join Heather and Erica as they explore the fascinating world of octopuses through Mark Rober's YouTube video. They discuss animal intelligence, space, fiction versus non-fiction, and the importance of stimulation for animals in captivity. Needed: Wifi and ability to access YouTube Mark Rober's Octopus Maze

Building products to teach kids to love science and embrace failure Watch on YouTube TLDR I’m interviewing Rachele Harmuth, Chief Product Officer at CrunchLabs, to discuss scaling a beloved STEM brand from viral YouTube content to hands-on products, classroom curriculum, and partnerships with platforms like Netflix. Rachele Harmuth shares her journey from toy design to product leadership and how CrunchLabs manages collaboration between content and product teams. She shares lessons learned on operationalizing brand values during high-growth expansion and the importance of building resilient creators who embrace failure. This episode is packed with actionable insights for product managers aiming to balance innovation with brand consistency. Introduction Mark Rober has 73 million YouTube subscribers watching him build glitter bombs and squirrel obstacle courses. But how do you turn that content into products that actually ship to millions of customers—and then scale that into retail stores worldwide? That’s the challenge facing today’s guest. She’s leading product strategy at CrunchLabs as they expand from STEM subscription boxes into global retail, classroom curriculum, and a Netflix series—all launching in 2026. In this discussion, you’ll learn how to decide how content interacts with product strategy, how to maintain desired outcomes at scale, and how to operationalize brand values across a product team. Our guest is Rachele Harmuth, Chief Product Officer at CrunchLabs. She’s spent 30 years in the toy industry at companies including Scholastic, Ravensburger, and Fat Brain Toys. She also founded MESH Helps, a nonprofit building children’s resilience through play. Furthermore, she won the Women in Toys 2025 Wonder Women Award. Summary of Concepts Discussed for Product Managers Rachele’s Journey to CrunchLabs:While at Ravensburger, Rachele Harmuth discovered CrunchLabs while seeking inspiring engineering toys for her own kids. Her son, a senior in high school, told her that Mark Rober is the reason he wanted to be an engineer. Initially Rachele pursued a partnership between Ravensburger and CrunchLabs, but her passion for their products and ideas for improvement led CrunchLabs’ president to invite her onboard. CrunchLabs’ Product Strategy:CrunchLabs’ unique strategy involves a unique collaboration between content creators (including Mark Rober) and toy engineers. Both teams cross-pollinate ideas. Their shared mission is showing kids that science is fun and approachable. Cross-Functional Product Development:To maintain brand focus amid rapid growth (retail, curriculum, media), CrunchLabs focuses on three goals: Spark Curiosity, Embrace Failure, and Build Creative Confidence. Everyone from every area of the company was part of the discussion to put together these three goals. These vision statements provide direction, since very product, feature, and piece of content is judged by whether it supports those goals. A core part of CrunchLabs’ mission is to help kids embrace failure. Mark’s videos show him embracing failures, problem solving and operating by CrunchLab’s three vision statements. Rachele is translating those statements into physical products so that customers can develop these problem-solving and engineering skills too. Testing Product Designs:CrunchLabs tests every product with kids in the target age range, fine-tuning challenge levels and instructions to ensure engaging, confidence-boosting experiences that mimic the iterative process celebrated in their videos. Direct feedback from diverse test groups drives meaningful improvements. Saying No to Stay Focused:As CrunchLabs’ brand is expanding, they maintain brand focus by being very selective and saying no to more things than they say yes to. They evaluate each opportunity for impact and additive value and choose opportunities that align with all three of their goal statements and help them reach the m

I asked MrBeast and Mark Rober to break down their empires from content to products to experiences just like Walt Disney did in 1957. Thanks Shopify for sponsoring, get your free trial: https://www.Shopify.com/Youshaei Get our free YT Hack Pack with our best tips, tools & templates: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.YTHackPack.com⁠⁠⁠ Join our Discord of 6,500 creators helping each other grow: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Join our newsletter for latest creator news & tips: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://created.news⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get free 30 minute consulting with my new company, Boring Stuff, which does taxes, accounting, and more for creators: https://www.boring-stuff.com Get Created merch hoodies, hats, shirts & crewnecks: https://created.store Subscribe for more videos: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://tr.ee/YoushaeiYT 0:00 - Inside Jimmy & Mark’s Empires 2:17 - Jimmy’s YouTube Channels: Old & New 3:02 - Beast Land: Is America Next? 5:45 - Announcing MrBeast Financial 7:30 - MrBeast’s Big Software Play 8:59 - Writing Books 11:03 - Testing Ideas for Beast Games 11:47 - Feastables, Merch, Lunchly & More 13:57 - Developing New Talent 15:44 - $5B Valuation 18:07 - Mark’s Biggest Videos 21:16 - Mark’s YouTube Thumbnail Strategy 22:45 - Rejecting $50M 26:12 - Mark’s “Trilogy” of Products 28:46 - Brand Deals 30:28 - Creative Process for Shorts 32:40 - Brand Deals (Continued) 34:07 - New Netflix Show37:26 - IRL Experiences 41:54 - $55M Classroom…For Free 45:01 - “Most Important Thing I’ll Do”

On Purpose with Jay Shetty Key Takeaways Engineering Thinking Framework Embrace failure as discovery, foster insatiable curiosity, and iterate relentlessly The core principle: break things, test repeatedly, and view each failure as eliminating one wrong approach If you can dream it, you can build it through iterative experimentation. Naive Optimism + Strategic Execution Turn ideas into action by combining an optimistic vision with a practical breakdown: define your end goal, decompose it into simple steps, identify knowledge gaps, and test incrementally Transform fear into curiosity through hands-on building and reflection on lessons learned, rather than ego protection The Immersion Weekend Method: Dedicate 48 hours of complete immersion to explore new fascinations – consume every book, video, and resource available. This intensive sprint reveals whether something deserves permanent schedule integration and helps you fall in love with the process of incremental mastery Dual-Track Success Model Avoid binary thinking: maintain steady employment while pursuing passion projects during nights and weekends until they gain traction The most successful ventures pair a 10x visionary thinker with a logistics master (Jobs + Napoleon model), preventing burnout by keeping founders focused on their core love rather than pure management Content that resonates triggers five core emotions: Adventure, humor, negativity, inspiration, or surprise More broadly: control only what’s in your sphere of influence, commit to “hell yes” decisions exclusively, and recognize that outcomes revert to the mean Things are never as extreme as they appear in the moment. Read the full notes @ podcastnotes.org What idea have you been sitting on lately? What’s been holding you back from starting? Today, Jay sits down with engineer, innovator, and YouTube creator Mark Rober to explore the unexpected life experiences that shaped one of the internet’s most beloved minds. Mark shares the childhood moments that ignited his passion for building, breaking, and understanding how the world works, moments nurtured by a mother whose love, imagination, and encouragement helped lay the foundation for his life’s mission. He reflects on how her influence continues to ripple outward, inspiring millions of young people who learn, explore, and dream through his work today. Jay and Mark explore the mindset that carried Mark from NASA engineer to innovative educator, unpacking what it really means to “think like an engineer:” experiment boldly, embrace failure, and treat every setback as an opportunity to learn. They follow Mark’s unusual pivots, from designing Mars rover hardware to crafting Halloween costumes, to ultimately shaping a career that blends curiosity, storytelling, science, and play. Together they reveal the deeper lessons behind Mark’s most viral experiments: why creativity thrives when we stay childlike, how passion reveals itself through repetition, and why the most meaningful work grows from genuine excitement rather than algorithms or expectations. In this interview, you'll learn: How to Think Like an Engineer How to Stay Curious as an Adult How to Follow Your Passion Practically How to Build Ideas That Actually Work How to Find Creativity in Everyday Life How to

On Purpose with Jay Shetty: Read the notes at at podcastnotes.org . Don't forget to subscribe for free to our newsletter, the top 10 ideas of the week, every Monday --------- What idea have you been sitting on lately? What’s been holding you back from starting? Today, Jay sits down with engineer, innovator, and YouTube creator Mark Rober to explore the unexpected life experiences that shaped one of the internet’s most beloved minds. Mark shares the childhood moments that ignited his passion for building, breaking, and understanding how the world works, moments nurtured by a mother whose love, imagination, and encouragement helped lay the foundation for his life’s mission. He reflects on how her influence continues to ripple outward, inspiring millions of young people who learn, explore, and dream through his work today. Jay and Mark explore the mindset that carried Mark from NASA engineer to innovative educator, unpacking what it really means to “think like an engineer:” experiment boldly, embrace failure, and treat every setback as an opportunity to learn. They follow Mark’s unusual pivots, from designing Mars rover hardware to crafting Halloween costumes, to ultimately shaping a career that blends curiosity, storytelling, science, and play. Together they reveal the deeper lessons behind Mark’s most viral experiments: why creativity thrives when we stay childlike, how passion reveals itself through repetition, and why the most meaningful work grows from genuine excitement rather than algorithms or expectations. In this interview, you'll learn: How to Think Like an Engineer How to Stay Curious as an Adult How to Follow Your Passion Practically How to Build Ideas That Actually Work How to Find Creativity in Everyday Life How to Recognize Your Real Calling How to Inspire Others Through Your Work Keep following the questions that excite you, keep trying the things that scare you, and keep believing that you’re capable of far more than you realize. Your next breakthrough might be just one experiment, or one brave attempt away. With Love and Gratitude, Jay Shetty Join over 750,000 people to receive my most transformative wisdom directly in your inbox every single week with my free newsletter. Subscribe here . Check out our Apple subscription to unlock bonus content of On Purpose! https://lnk.to/JayShettyPodcast What We Discuss: 00:00 Intro 01:16 Were You Always Creative? 04:02 Understanding the Real Impact of Your Life 06:55 What It Really Takes to Work at NASA 09:49 Learning to Think Like an Engineer 11:22 How Rovers Are Tested for Mars 12:20 Searching for Life Beyond Earth 13:24 Follow What You Truly Love Doing 16:11 If You Can Imagine It, You Can Build It 17:22 Practical Wisdom from a Lifelong Tinkerer 20:57 The Pivot from NASA to Apple 23:34 Turning Ideas into Actionable Success 24:45 What is the Engineering Design Process? 28:28 Why Embracing Failure Matters 29:57 Relearning Trust and Finding Love Again 34:56 The Power of Immersion Weekends 36:45 Making Learning Engaging Through Creativity 40:29 Why Mastery Is Worth Pursuing 41:40 Balancing Business with True Creativity 44:51 How Communication Shapes Great Storytelling 47:40 Two Common Mistakes Creators Make 52:30 Staying True to Your Creative Style 54:04 The Importance of Focus

Investor Anthony Scaramucci discusses bitcoin’s rebound and his optimistic outlook for Solana, one of the digital assets he believes will stand the test of time. Online creator Mark Rober has amassed a YouTube following of 72 million people, and now he’s taking his fun science lessons to Sesame Street. The former NASA engineer explains his business model and his next projects, including a collaboration with Elmo and a curriculum for science teachers. Plus, CNBC’s Courtney Reagan reports on a new outlook from Macy’s , President Trump will announce his pick for the new Federal Reserve Chair in early 2026, and American Eagle’s Sydney Sweeney denim campaign may have been a boon to its holiday business. Anthony Scaramucci - 16:19 Mark Rober - 28:42 In this episode: Mark Rober, @MarkRober Anthony Scaramucci, @Scaramucci Courtney Reagan, @CourtReagan Becky Quick, @BeckyQuick Joe Kernen, @JoeSquawk Katie Kramer, @Kramer_Katie Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What idea have you been sitting on lately? What’s been holding you back from starting? Today, Jay sits down with engineer, innovator, and YouTube creator Mark Rober to explore the unexpected life experiences that shaped one of the internet’s most beloved minds. Mark shares the childhood moments that ignited his passion for building, breaking, and understanding how the world works, moments nurtured by a mother whose love, imagination, and encouragement helped lay the foundation for his life’s mission. He reflects on how her influence continues to ripple outward, inspiring millions of young people who learn, explore, and dream through his work today. Jay and Mark explore the mindset that carried Mark from NASA engineer to innovative educator, unpacking what it really means to “think like an engineer:” experiment boldly, embrace failure, and treat every setback as an opportunity to learn. They follow Mark’s unusual pivots, from designing Mars rover hardware to crafting Halloween costumes, to ultimately shaping a career that blends curiosity, storytelling, science, and play. Together they reveal the deeper lessons behind Mark’s most viral experiments: why creativity thrives when we stay childlike, how passion reveals itself through repetition, and why the most meaningful work grows from genuine excitement rather than algorithms or expectations. In this interview, you'll learn: How to Think Like an Engineer How to Stay Curious as an Adult How to Follow Your Passion Practically How to Build Ideas That Actually Work How to Find Creativity in Everyday Life How to Recognize Your Real Calling How to Inspire Others Through Your Work Keep following the questions that excite you, keep trying the things that scare you, and keep believing that you’re capable of far more than you realize. Your next breakthrough might be just one experiment, or one brave attempt away. With Love and Gratitude, Jay Shetty Join over 750,000 people to receive my most transformative wisdom directly in your inbox every single week with my free newsletter. Subscribe here . Check out our Apple subscription to unlock bonus content of On Purpose! https://lnk.to/JayShettyPodcast What We Discuss: 00:00 Intro 01:16 Were You Always Creative? 04:02 Understanding the Real Impact of Your Life 06:55 What It Really Takes to Work at NASA 09:49 Learning to Think Like an Engineer 11:22 How Rovers Are Tested for Mars 12:20 Searching for Life Beyond Earth 13:24 Follow What You Truly Love Doing 16:11 If You Can Imagine It, You Can Build It 17:22 Practical Wisdom from a Lifelong Tinkerer 20:57 The Pivot from NASA to Apple 23:34 Turning Ideas into Actionable Success 24:45 What is the Engineering Design Process? 28:28 Why Embracing Failure Matters 29:57 Relearning Trust and Finding Love Again 34:56 The Power of Immersion Weekends 36:45 Making Learning Engaging Through Creativity 40:29 Why Mastery Is Worth Pursuing 41:40 Balancing Business with True Creativity 44:51 How Communication Shapes Great Storytelling 47:40 Two Common Mistakes Creators Make 52:30 Staying True to Your Creative Style 54:04 The Importance of Focusing on One Passion 56:44 The Hidden Failures Behind Viral Success 59:35 Giving Kids Room to Be Creative 01:04:30 Curiosity as the Root of Creativity 01:06:07 Inside a Real Creative Process 01:08:45 Where Do You Get Your Big Ideas? 01:11:46 The Mind-Bending Question of Life in the Universe</p

What idea have you been sitting on lately? What’s been holding you back from starting? Today, Jay sits down with engineer, innovator, and YouTube creator Mark Rober to explore the unexpected life experiences that shaped one of the internet’s most beloved minds. Mark shares the childhood moments that ignited his passion for building, breaking, and understanding how the world works, moments nurtured by a mother whose love, imagination, and encouragement helped lay the foundation for his life’s mission. He reflects on how her influence continues to ripple outward, inspiring millions of young people who learn, explore, and dream through his work today. Jay and Mark explore the mindset that carried Mark from NASA engineer to innovative educator, unpacking what it really means to “think like an engineer:” experiment boldly, embrace failure, and treat every setback as an opportunity to learn. They follow Mark’s unusual pivots, from designing Mars rover hardware to crafting Halloween costumes, to ultimately shaping a career that blends curiosity, storytelling, science, and play. Together they reveal the deeper lessons behind Mark’s most viral experiments: why creativity thrives when we stay childlike, how passion reveals itself through repetition, and why the most meaningful work grows from genuine excitement rather than algorithms or expectations. In this interview, you'll learn: How to Think Like an Engineer How to Stay Curious as an Adult How to Follow Your Passion Practically How to Build Ideas That Actually Work How to Find Creativity in Everyday Life How to Recognize Your Real Calling How to Inspire Others Through Your Work Keep following the questions that excite you, keep trying the things that scare you, and keep believing that you’re capable of far more than you realize. Your next breakthrough might be just one experiment, or one brave attempt away. With Love and Gratitude, Jay Shetty Join over 750,000 people to receive my most transformative wisdom directly in your inbox every single week with my free newsletter. Subscribe here . Check out our Apple subscription to unlock bonus content of On Purpose! https://lnk.to/JayShettyPodcast What We Discuss: 00:00 Intro 01:16 Were You Always Creative? 04:02 Understanding the Real Impact of Your Life 06:55 What It Really Takes to Work at NASA 09:49 Learning to Think Like an Engineer 11:22 How Rovers Are Tested for Mars 12:20 Searching for Life Beyond Earth 13:24 Follow What You Truly Love Doing 16:11 If You Can Imagine It, You Can Build It 17:22 Practical Wisdom from a Lifelong Tinkerer 20:57 The Pivot from NASA to Apple 23:34 Turning Ideas into Actionable Success 24:45 What is the Engineering Design Process? 28:28 Why Embracing Failure Matters 29:57 Relearning Trust and Finding Love Again 34:56 The Power of Immersion Weekends 36:45 Making Learning Engaging Through Creativity 40:29 Why Mastery Is Worth Pursuing 41:40 Balancing Business with True Creativity 44:51 How Communication Shapes Great Storytelling 47:40 Two Common Mistakes Creators Make 52:30 Staying True to Your Creative Style 54:04 The Importance of Focusing on One Passion 56:44 The Hidden Failures Behind Viral Success 59:35 Giving Kids Room to Be Creative 01:04:30 Curiosity as the Root of Creativity 01:06:07 Inside a Real Creative Process 01:08:45 Where Do You Get Your Big Ideas? 01:11:46 The Mind-Bending Question of Life in the Universe</p

We're in Los Angeles at Adobe MAX 2025 to break down the announcements that will change how creators work, including Adobe's game-changing partnership with YouTube. We're joined by a legendary lineup of guests to discuss the future of creativity. Mark Rober reveals his $55 million secret project for the first time ever, Cleo Abram (Huge If True) shares her POV on editorial freedom and advancements in tech, and Adobe's GM of Creators Mike Polner, explains the new AI tools that will save you hours of work .What you'll learn: -- Mark Rober's strategy for building a 100-person company. -- The AI audio tool that creates studio-quality sound anywhere. -- How to edit YouTube Shorts inside the new Premiere Mobile app. -- Why creative freedom is more important than ever for creators. If you want to stay ahead in the creator economy, subscribe and hit the bell so you don't miss our next episode! 00:00 Live From Adobe MAX! 01:01 Adobe's ChatGPT Integration 01:45 The New Adobe x YouTube Partnership 04:09 YouTube's New TV Experience 07:48 Welcome Mark Rober! 08:40 Is AI Cheating for Creators? 12:25 Building the Mark Rober Business 16:51 Mark Rober's $55M Secret Project 23:53 Welcome Cleo Abram! 26:12 Why I Left Vox 31:20 AI Tools Lower The Barrier 37:24 Welcome Adobe's Mike Polner! 39:31 Adobe's Top 3 New Tools 44:27 What is "Responsible AI"? 52:06 Upload: Steven Bartlett's Big Raise Creator Upload is your creator economy podcast, hosted by Lauren Schnipper and Joshua Cohen. Follow Lauren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schnipper/ Follow Josh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuajcohen/ Original music by London Bridge: https://www.instagram.com/londonbridgemusic/ Edited and produced by Adam Conner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamonbrand