You know, I think that it didn't used to be that way so much. It started in the 80's when IBM shifted from pensions to retirement accounts. Pensions were funded out of future profits. All of a sudden, there was this massive amount of wealth being managed by third parties, giving those third parties, who created their own wealth by shifting that wealth around - a lot- , incredible consolidated influence out of proportion to the amount of stock held over the actions of corporations. Dividends were no longer an important vehicle for returning value to shareholders because it was contrary to the money managers' goal of creating return by churning holdings in their managed portfolio.