Marshall Brain – Author, Futurist, and Educator

Marshall Brain was an American author, public speaker, futurist, businessman, and academic, who specialized in making complex topics easier to understand for the general public.

Founder of HowStuffWorks.com

He was the founder of HowStuffWorks.com and the author of the How Stuff Works book series.

Early Life

Brain was born on May 17, 1961, in Santa Monica, California, where his father designed components for Moon rockets.

Education

Brain received a B.S. in electrical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1983, and a M.S. in computer science from North Carolina State University.

Early Career in Academia

Brain started his career as a lecturer. He taught in the computer science department at North Carolina State University from 1986 to 1992.

Software Business Ventures

He also wrote computer programming manuals and ran a software training and consulting company.

Creation of HowStuffWorks.com

In 1998, Brain left the teaching space to build a website HowStuffWorks.com. This originally started as a hobby before it transformed into a full-blown business.

Business Sales and Growth

In 2002, Brain sold a part of his related company, How Stuff Works Inc., to The Convex Group, an Atlanta-based investment company owned by former Web MD CEO Jeff Arnold, for an estimated $1 million.

Discovery Acquisition

Another company named Discovery purchased the website for $250 million in 2007 and introduced its television show How Stuff Works in 2008.

Television Hosting

Brain also was a TV host. In 2008 and 2009, Brain hosted Factory Floor with Marshall Brain and the Who Knew? With Marshall Brain, both on the National Geographic channel.

Media Appearances

With the shows, Brain was able to show viewers how products are designed, tested, and manufactured.

Appearances on Major TV Shows

With a fantastic career like his, Brain also appeared on shows like The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Oz, Good Morning America, CNN, and Modern Marvels.

Authorship and Focus Areas

Brain was an author. He authored books such as The Second Intelligent Species: How Humans Will Become as Irrelevant as Cockroaches (2015) and Manna: Two Views of Humanity’s Future (2012), where he wrote about robotics, transhumanism, and atheism.

Later Career and Work at NC State

Brain last lectured at, and was the director of the Engineering Entrepreneurs Program at North Carolina State University. He worked on EcoPRT, a new transportation system, with Dr. Seth Hollar.

Personal Life

Brain married Leigh Ann. The couple had four children together.

Death

Brain was found dead in his office at Centennial Campus on November 20, 2024, at the age of 63.