Could one possibility be that their business goes through the formality of a PIP first then at the first sign of a problem lets them go? I've seen some compani

Could one possibility be that their business goes through the formality of a PIP first then at the first sign of a problem lets them go? I've seen some companies do this to reduce risk of lawsuit though I am not a lawyer and do not know how that works in every state/country or if HR departments may be at times guilty of cargo-culting.