[toomuchtodo]

Dividends are just a mechanism to realize profit without having to sell a security. Amazon and Google pay no dividends, for example, but the gains from their growth are very real. You just have to sell to realize the gain versus a dividend where you receive a payout instead of the price of your holdings increasing.

[sudosysgen]

Amazon and Google engage in stock buybacks, which are dividends for all intents and purposes.

[colinmhayes]

Buybacks are just dividends by another name