[nytesky]

You should look into how investment bankers bonus work.

If bonus was actual profit sharing, I would agree that it would be a different thing more akin to a bet, but the bonus is contingent mostly on your personal “performance” with some bail options if company hits the skids, but salary is a bet in that case as well, as you are an at will employee.

[LtWorf]

My company (USA located) paid less than the entirety of our bonuses because they lack money.

My personal "performance" was fine.

However performance without clear goals is useless, and with clear goals becomes a gamed metric.