This is just highly dependent on the structure of the company and the ability to objectively determine an individual's input into the final profit of the compan

This is just highly dependent on the structure of the company and the ability to objectively determine an individual's input into the final profit of the company. Small companies, sales orgs, hedge funds have an advantage here. If you're not so lucky, your industry / company size may result in bonuses getting handed out completely based on who your boss likes, and no one can argue because it's subjective. Spend months sorting out a rat's nest of code that your predecessors created? Over the long term, this is value creating behavior for the company. Is a portion of the bottom line measurably attributable to it in a particular year? Maybe, maybe not.