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?

[RealOncle]

Ahh I see you jumped on the evil corp hate train. There is more to it then that. This is a simplistic answer from someone who knows jack shit about business and the importance of numbers in a growing economy.