That's the problem with being publicly traded.
You make a% profit every year. Investors get used to that a%, and they want to see it grow.
So you shoot for making b% growth in profit every year (profit = a*(1+xb), where x is the year). Investors get used to that b% growth, and they want to see it grow.
So you shoot for making c% growth in growth every year (profit = a*(1+x(b+1+xc)). Investors get used to that c% growth, and they want to see it grow.
Limit as investor greed goes to infinity, and you have
profit = aex, and investors fail to understand why that doesn't work.