To add to what patio11 said: Even if as an employee you don't get paid a lot directly for fixing it, there is still some benefits: 1. You can use this as argu

To add to what patio11 said: Even if as an employee you don't get paid a lot directly for fixing it, there is still some benefits: 1. You can use this as argument for getting a raise or promotion. 2. When you look for next job, you can say "and I identified a problem, on my own, which saved my last employer $2 million". Which should allow you to negotiate much higher pay. So overall it might still raise your lifetime earnings by a noticeable amount, if you take advantage of it.