you realise most companies are private and don't have publicly tradable shares?
if I'm a small company with shareholders that aren't employees, how do you expect the shareholders to get their money out, without giving up control of their company?
Ideally, people wouldn’t have any money to invest because they all earn the same amount, which they all spend on the same expenses, otherwise it gets taxed and redistributed.
The return is in the increase in value of the stock?
Dividends have only existed since the 1960s and stock buybacks only became mainstream in the 1980s. Stocks have existed in some form since the 1600s.
you realise most companies are private and don't have publicly tradable shares?
if I'm a small company with shareholders that aren't employees, how do you expect the shareholders to get their money out, without giving up control of their company?
they just leave it in there forever?
Ideally, people wouldn’t have any money to invest because they all earn the same amount, which they all spend on the same expenses, otherwise it gets taxed and redistributed.