Meta Platforms Inc. surprised Wall Street on Thursday with its first-ever dividend, a move that’s likely Silicon Valley’s most monumental dividend decision since Apple Inc. reinstated its payout over a decade ago — and one that could light a fire under other tech giants. With Meta’s META, +1.19% plans to pay a 50 cents-a-share quarterly dividend beginning in March, the company will join Apple AAPL, +1.33% and Microsoft Corp. MSFT, +1.56% among Big Tech’s dividend payers. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg’s wi ...