>like picking the fruits of a tree just to grind them into compost for the soil under the same tree The difference being that your example would at least enric

>like picking the fruits of a tree just to grind them into compost for the soil under the same tree The difference being that your example would at least enrich the soil and potentially improve future yields (like R&D), while buybacks are essentially just propping up the stock price with no fundamental contribution to future success.