Originally Posted by MaxQ

I believe the catalyst for both of our original posts was the view that a company being prudent and stockpiling cash made them a target of corporate raiders. My view is that it shouldn't be legal to leverage a company with it's own assets to turn it overnight into a "corporate pauper". It is harmful to the country, and depending on the size of the company, large numbers of individuals. Since rules/legislation of that sort are unlikely to happen my suggestion, similar to yours, was to give what would be used to buy back stock to the employees. I assert that they are the ones who have made this extra money.

Did the hedge funds, or any other stock owner, make any of this money? No.
How much did they invest in the company? (Unless they, or any other stockholder, bought their shares directly from the company)....ZERO.
They are merely trading in stock as the price shuttles up or down. "They" haven't "made" a damn thing in regards the company they now own a slice of. No purchase of any assets have been made from their buying of stock.
From the companies operational and fiscal performance standpoint, what the stock price does after the initial issuance of a share of stock is immaterial.

As owners, a strong argument can be made that this extra should be paid to them. I don't really disagree with that. However, that's not how we have set this up. The closest we come to it is when a company pays dividends. It is a fraction of what the profits, of the magnitude we are talking, really are. Plus, if your money is in an "investment" firm, you don't get the cash anyway.
In short, profits are not distributed to the owners but rather used in whatever fashion a small group sees fit. Which may include stock buybacks as a form of stock price manipulation.

Ok..I have rambled enough. One thing I have noticed on this message board (the only one I visit) is that many posts come across as shallow. I suspect that is so because it takes too much space to add more depth and all sorts of information that is relevant, plus formative philosophies regarding said information. I certainly know it applies to most of what I post. I try to keep that in mind when I read what others post so as to soften my judgements. My success in that varies.
Stay safe.