Dividends are paid to shareholders, normally in proportion to the number of shares they own. Many businesses retain some of the earnings in order to have working capital for the business. Corporations in which the key employees are also the major shareholders pay little in the way of dividends. Salaries and other forms of compensation receive more favorable tax treatment than dividends. It's only when the IRS would consider the compensation unreasonably large that dividends would be paid.
Corporate shares are transferable Shares in a corporation are theoretically transferable.
This has a number of consequences. First, it makes it easier to separate the people who contribute capital to the business from people who contribute labor. It means that you can work hard in your business and at the same time raise capital by selling shares to people who will never set foot in your establishment. Second, the business doesn't depend on your corporeal survival in order to continue. A shareholder can die, and the shares are passed on and the business keeps on rolling.