Who owns stocks? Cede and Company

Wikipedia has a brief article about Cede and Company. Here is the first paragraph: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cede_and_Company) "Cede and Company, also known as "Cede and Co." or "Cede & Co.", is an organization founded in 1996[1] that was formed for the purpose of efficiently processing transfers of stock certificates on behalf of Depository Trust Company,[2] the central securities depositary used by the United States National Market System, which includes the New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq, and other exchanges together with associated clearinghouses such as NSCC, FICC, DTCC, and others. Cede technically owns substantially all of the publicly issued stock in the United States.[3] Thus, investors do not themselves hold direct property rights in stock, but rather have contractual rights that are part of a chain of contractual rights involving Cede.[4]"

Page 15 of the book “Brotherhood of Darkness” by Dr. Stanley Monteith states: “He [Edward Bellamy] foresaw large corporations taken over by larger corporations until finally all commerce was merged into a single corporation, The Great Trust.” Chapter end note #9: Edward Bellamy, “Looking Backward,” Dover Publications, Inc., New York, originally published in 1888, republished by Dover in 1996, p 70.

So, in 1888 Edward Bellamy saw all commerce merged into a single corporation. “Cede technically owns substantially all of the publicly issued stock in the United States.” Cede and Company was founded in 1996. Edward Bellamy’s book “Looking Backward” was republished in 1996. What an amazing coincidence.

Do you own stocks? Or does Cede and Company own the stocks that you paid for?

(I have owned stocks in the past. I do not currently own stocks.)