When Marx was writing there really was a problem with "capitalists" owning the means of production. In the late 19th century and early 20th industry was the big driver of economic growth and employment. As farms closed workers had to move into cities where there was an over supply of labor. Workers were exploited, abused, and child labor was a problem. That was the problem Marx was looking at, and from his point of view society and technology was inevitably (where the word progressive comes from) to the point where the workers would get enough power to overthrow the class who owned the means of production. Historically communism was very effective in increasing Russia and China's industrial production and did increase their citizen's welfare. However the Soviet Union, and most communist states collapsed or reformed because they couldn't adapt to a modern economy.

Today advanced economies are not based on industrial production but intellectual property, services, and the educated class. The value of Apple which is the most valuable company in the world comes not from the means of production (which are outsourced to China) but a very sophisticated marketing, design, and engineering organization which creates valuable designs and products. Free market incentives are what enable the complex organization of Apple. The Soviet Union was never able to build good computers and despite China's large industrial capacity they have trouble manufacturing precise products, especially without Western expertise. If companies were turned over to workers, innovation would decrease and the ability to run highly complex organizations would fall. Look at the most valuable companies in the world. That is why "owning the means of production" is an antiquated concept because the means of production are no longer valuable.

I think redistributing wealth is making increasing sense because today the problem is that these large sophisticated organizations only want highly qualified and productive individuals. Most people just are not that valuable to an advanced economy and unless you want them to starve or have high inequality you have to transfer some amount of money.