The illusion of ownership is maintained by customization: changing the wallpaper, arranging widgets, installing a third-party launcher. But these are cosmetic permissions, not proprietary rights. You cannot change the kernel. You cannot remove the proprietary GPU drivers. You cannot disable the low-level telemetry without voiding your warranty.
Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus, Motorola—these companies do not own Android, but they own your experience of Android. They are the "software owners" in a practical, daily-use sense. android software owner