I'm honestly trying to figure out what people are complaining about.

You can invest $100 in Amazon and watch it turn into $200 over time so you earned $100 by doing nothing but taking some risk. No, you don't have any influence over the company, but so what?

If there is some idea that only rich people can invest in stocks that is not true. You can invest an amount that is small by market standards but significant to your wealth and make a difference in your finances.