>I wish more big stocks (looking at you, tech giants) paid regular dividends instead of buybacks. It gives me a real, irrevocable return on my investment and benefits all shareholders equally (on a per share basis).

That's exactly the reason that some companies don't pay dividends. It leads to irrevocable gain, which means it adds to your tax liability.

Whereas, if a stock rose in value, there's no immediate tax implications for the investor. A lot of investors prefer that. In fact if the stock is donated instead of cash, there's never a tax implication.