Most people don't have the money to afford to own an entire factory, and if they did its still more secure for them to diversify by owning many pieces of many factories in different industries, that's why capitalists figured out how to commodify the means of production as stocks. Its not quite the same, its better.

It's not strictly better, no. As a minority shareholder in Google I have effectively no power to make them stop ruining the internet. Majority control is what gets you something like full ownership, just with some other risks and benefits.

Majority control requires a lot of wealth, you don't have majority control of Google because you don't have that much money. You have no reason to expect a person like yourself to be able to control the amount of capital assets that Google represents. Your access to the means of production is dependent on your ability to buy into them and stock allows you to do that in small increments. If it weren't for stock you still wouldn't have control over anything like Google.

I don't have control either way, that's all I'm saying. Small quantity stock owners effectively serve to slightly reduce risk for big-fish investors. Their investments are like financial fodder. They get an upside of course, but I think the invention of 401ks are more of a help to the financial sector than their owners.

And, big fish stock owners help to reduce risk for small quantity stock owners. The big guys get to crowdsource capital for a big project and the small guys get to invest in a variety of big projects without needing to know much about the details of running any of the companies or risking their entire knot on one venture. The modern notion of stock also helps to reduce liability as it legally prevents the stockholders from being held liable for the actions of the company.

This whole discussion is about whether small fish in a mixed market economy have access to the means of production. They do, to a greater extent than ever before in history. Yes, if you only have $3k, you can't control a company that is worth a billion dollars. But you can invest in it, which option was not available before the joint stock company was invented (in the 7th century in Asia and the 13th century in Europe).

401k is also a boon to workers because it allows them to save for retirement by investing in the means of production at a tax advantage.

"who benefits more" is an interesting question but some of us shy away because it invites intersubjective utility comparison and we're not comfortable with the use of cardinal utility to make judgments of that nature.