@Kelvin,
tbh, idk what many people mean by 'operator'. Many ppl think stock exchange is run by 'operator'. I too think the same previously.
30 years ago, stock trading were run manually. Licensed brokers sell & buy in stock exchange trading floor. Just like auction/lelong. We place our Buy/Sell order through their brokerage house. Their broker will execute them in trading floor.
Auctioneers manage this auction. But now, we have moved onto electronic stock trading platform. We place our bid/sell price through IB trading platform. These trading platforms do the matching sell/buy orders & clearing house will issue final invoice.

The COMPANY appoints their Buyside & Sellside brokers. They make money on commissions on how much they get their clients to buy/sell the COMPANY shares. Buyside & Sellside brokers are like Salesman.

Buyside & Sellside brokers don't own those shares. But if they want to find clients, they have to buy/sell at agreed price. And this doesnt happen everyday. This only happens when there are interests from others to acquire stakes in the COMPANY or takeover the COMPANY.

Those shares that we have been seeing changing hands from buyers and sellers are actually own by the market e.g. fund managers, public institutions, market makers/stockists, licensed brokers, private companies and retail traders.
Since each of them have their price, they must make sure they get to buy and sell at their price. Market calls this Set Ups. They purposely lure, deceive, scare, squeeze and force market to give the price that they want.
So, those who have biggest fund or money will get what they want most of the time. These ppl will put their agents on their favourite stocks so that they can control stock prices and make money out of it.
They also have agents in stock exchange and companies whenever they need news. That is why we see price movements before news breaks the following day.

To me, its good to know more about our stocks or the COMPANY. No matter what they do, we know the COMPANY share price will go up if the COMPANY have good fundamentals and business model/plan/roadmap. We just wait for them to start their big moves. Then we follow.

There is always something to learn in stock market.