Isn't the youtube CPM like $5? you'd need 10M views for $50k, which seems unrealistic.
Lol no, cpm varies on every video but it's more like pennies on the low end to maybe a dollar for the most viral videos of the moment.
Source: am YouTuber, talk to lots of other YouTubers.
That's assuming just YT ad money and doesn't take into account sponsorship deals you can book based on your view count.
Also you can be running your own skins gambling site on the side, promote it using your channel, and not disclose anything.
But who would ever do such a nefarious things /sarcasm
A lot of youtubers receive direct donations and have monthly subscription offerings through things like Patreon. It might not be that unrealistic as it seems.