A marketing professional has lost his job and faces a 30-day deadline to repay more than $118,000 after his nine-year-old son used a company credit card to run extensive YouTube advertising campaigns promoting Minecraft and Roblox videos.
David Sarkisyan, known as Dave, detailed the incident in videos posted to his son’s channel, Mighty Mike Plays. The boy, Mike, began uploading gameplay footage earlier this year. Early videos attracted little attention. When Mike expressed frustration over low view counts, his father set up a small $20 YouTube ad campaign and demonstrated how the promotion tools worked.
Sarkisyan had previously saved his company credit card details to a shared Google account used for the family’s devices and services, including earlier purchases of Roblox currency. He did not remove the card, set spending limits, or enable parental controls after the initial campaign. Mike then independently created and launched additional advertising campaigns over roughly three weeks.
The charges accumulated to approximately $118,000. Campaigns promoted videos under titles referencing “Mighty Mike,” “Epic Roblox,” and Minecraft gameplay. Several of the promoted videos reached around 200,000 views each. Estimates place the total views generated near 690,000 and new subscribers around 9,300.
Sarkisyan learned of the spending only when his employer summoned him to a meeting with managers and finance staff. They presented a breakdown of the advertising charges on the company card assigned to him and asked for an explanation. Once the transactions were examined, the connection to the boy’s channel became clear. The matter was escalated within the company.
In a video titled “Message from Dad… Mighty Mike Plays is Over,” posted on September 15, Sarkisyan took full responsibility. “I’m the adult in this situation,” he said. “I should have set limits, used a separate card, or done literally anything other than what I did.” He stated that his son did not understand the real-world value of the money and operated on the simple logic that more spending would produce more views. Mike’s brief comment in the video was: “I’m definitely cooked.”
The channel was placed on pause. The family removed saved payment methods and planned to implement spending caps and parental controls. Mike lost access to his iPad and PlayStation.
In a follow-up video posted around September 19, Sarkisyan confirmed he had been terminated from his position. He said he is personally liable for the full amount—slightly over $118,000—and has been given 30 days to repay it. Failure to do so could lead to legal action, he was told. The family is discussing the possibility of selling their home. Sarkisyan declined public fundraising options such as GoFundMe, citing a preference to handle the situation themselves, and instead launched a merchandise store selling items tied to the channel.
“Jobs come and go,” Sarkisyan said of the employment loss. “I’ve worked my whole life; I’ll find another job… I’ve got two hands, I’m healthy, I’m capable of working.” He described the debt as the more serious consequence.
The account relies on Sarkisyan’s own statements in the videos. The company involved has not issued a public statement, and independent verification of internal details remains limited. The episode has drawn widespread attention online as a cautionary example of the risks posed by saved payment methods, unrestricted access to advertising tools, and the ease with which children can incur large digital charges.
