With big investments, tech giants battle to stay ahead

Whatsapp could've fared very well without investment.

These firms may face the difficult choice of rewarding shareholders or pumping money into new investments which could pay off in the future.

God forbid they would invest more in their employees.

“A dividend is a very short-term gratification, which puts the company in a position of weakness in the long term. Giving dividends goes against innovation.”'

Some of these companies, such as Apple, are making money hand over fist, on the scale of oil companies. A dividend isn't going to hurt their investment opportunities when they already have huge cash reserves.