This all assumes that the working class can even afford to dabble in equity markets when it's being soaked by ever rising rent/healthcare/childcare costs.

Given the latest news showing that 89% of stocks in the US are owned by the wealthiest 10% of Americans you aren't wrong, at all.

That report did not account for pension fund and other retirement account investments.

2/3 Americans have less that 100k in retirement or pension by age 50.

You don't have to invest it in your company. Invest it in whichever company is hoovering up all the profits.

To some extent people have been doing it, which is behind the massive stock price gains from FAANGs. Only benefits you if you did it before everybody else, though, otherwise prices get bid up so high that you don't get a decent number of shares.

Spent three years an eight months working in retail hell, and this was exactly what the company pushed employees to do - they were kind enough to sell shares to employees at a 10% discount but you had to be crazy, grossly miseducated or drank a bit too much of the kool-aid to believe that this organization was a good value store.