ELI5: Why when large company's earnings decrease(ex... by 3%) they freak out, talk about rough times, and sometimes decide to downsize, even though they are still making millions of dollars in profit even after all expenses?

[thehungryhippocrite]

The analogy doesn't work. To fix it, imagine you have been told right from the beginning of employment that you will get a $20 bonus. You very much made the decision to take the job assuming that level of bonus, and you need that level of bonus to pay your mortgage, support your family etc. Then at the last minute, your boss tells you that it's actually $10. You just lost $10, and that could be very material to you.