# Hank Green

YouTuber. TIME100 AI 2026, Thinkers. One of the internet's longest-running educators, he published a personal AI policy after saying chatting with LLMs gave him an unhealthy level of dopamine. ([time.com](https://time.com/collection/time100-ai/2026/hank-green/))

- Born: 1980-05-05, Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_Green))
- Education: MS, Environmental studies, University of Montana, 2006; BS, Biochemistry, Eckerd College, 2002 ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_Green), [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/in/hankgreen))
- Career: Complexly (Founder and CEO, 2012–2023); DFTBA (Co-founder and CEO, 2009–2023); VidCon (Co-founder, from 2010); Subbable (Founder and CEO, 2013–2015); Pemberley Digital (Co-founder and Executive Producer, 2012–2014); EcoGeek (Founder and Editor in Chief, 2006–2010); Bio-Save (Lab Manager, 2003–2004) ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_Green), [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/in/hankgreen))
- TIME profile: https://time.com/collection/time100-ai/2026/hank-green/
- Profile: https://www.autumn.ai/resources/most-influential-people-in-ai/hank-green

- Built his first website, a Mars Exploration Page, in 1994 and later ran IHateI4.com, a site about hating Interstate 4 that made the Orlando news. ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_Green))
- His environmental tech blog EcoGeek began as a grad school class project and grew into the company Complexly. ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_Green))
- Co-created The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, a vlog-style Pride and Prejudice and the first web series to win an Emmy. ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_Green))
- The Vlogbrothers channel has posted over 2,300 videos with more than 1 billion views. ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_Green))
- Set one of the first personal AI policies among creators after saying the dopamine from LLMs was not healthy for him. ([time.com](https://time.com/collection/time100-ai/2026/hank-green/))
- His focus-timer app Focus Friend hit number one among free apps on Apple's App Store in 2025. ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_Green))