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Every generation assumes the next one grew up knowing everything about technology. One factory worker found out just how wrong that assumption can be while training a new hire.

They’d finished their tasks for the day and only had to shut down the computer, so he asked the new guy a simple question: did he know how to use Windows?

The new hire looked completely confused and asked what Windows was.

The trainer assumed he hadn’t heard properly, so he clarified that he meant the computer. The new hire said that of course he knew how to use one.

A few more questions later, it got stranger, and he walked away with a story he’s still telling to this day.

Keep reading for the full story.

I was training an 18-year-old at work today and apparently ‘Windows’ is not a thing

So today I was training a new guy at work. He’s 18, and we work at a factory.

At the end of the day, we had basically finished everything and just had to shut everything down on the computer.

The trainer asked what he thought was a simple question.

I asked him:

“Do you know how to use Windows?”

But the trainee’s reaction threw him completely off guard.

He looked at me completely confused and went:

“What? What’s Windows?”

He tries phrasing it a different way, but this only adds to the confusion.

I thought he maybe just didn’t hear me properly, so I said:

“The computer. Do you know how to use it?”

And he goes, pretty confidently:

“Yeah, of course I know how to use a computer.”

The two continue to completely misunderstand each other.

At this point, I was just confused, so I said something along the lines of:

“Well, you didn’t exactly convince me when you didn’t know what Windows was.”

I wasn’t trying to roast him or anything. I said it pretty casually. Then I just showed him how to shut everything down, and we moved on.

The trainer then realizes this trainee’s incompetence is even worse than he thought.

But I was still curious, so I asked if he had a computer with some other operating system at home, since apparently he knew how to use computers but didn’t know what Windows was.

He goes:

“What’s an operating system?”

So the trainer fills him in.

Now I’m starting to realize this is going somewhere.

So I explain that Windows, macOS, and Linux are operating systems.

The trainee then flips it around on him.

He says: “Well, I have a MacBook at home.”

I say: “Yeah, so your MacBook uses macOS.”

And he just looks at me like I’m the idiot and says:

“No, it’s called a MacBook.”

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Aren’t young people supposed to be better at technology?

What did Reddit make of this confusing interaction?

Turns out, technology standards can shift a lot between generations.

Many parents are finding they know a lot more about technology than their kids.

This commenter had a similar interaction with a younger person.

Maybe technology isn’t as intuitive for young people as we thought.

The idea that younger people are all tech wizards has been falling apart for years, and this story is a good example.

Modern technology has become so smooth that it’s invisible. Most people tap and swipe without ever wondering what’s underneath, and that includes people who’ve never known a world without it.

At the end of the day, this was a pretty harmless interaction, and at least the trainer had a good sense of humor about it.

The trainer got a short lesson in humility, and the new hire got a crash course on technology.

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Author

Benjamin Cottrell

Benjamin Cottrell | Assistant Editor, Internet Culture

Benjamin Cottrell is an Assistant Editor and contributing writer at TwistedSifter, specializing in internet culture, viral social dynamics, and the moral complexities of online communities. He brings a highly analytical, editorial voice to his reporting on workplace conflicts, malicious compliance, and interpersonal drama, with a specific focus on nuanced stories that lack an obvious villain.

As a published author of rhetorical criticism, Benjamin leverages his academic background in human communication to dissect and elevate viral social media threads. Instead of simply summarizing events, he provides readers with balanced, deep-dive commentary into why the internet reacts the way it does. In addition to his cultural reporting, he is an experienced fine art photography essayist and video game reviewer.

When he isn’t analyzing the latest viral debates, Benjamin is usually chipping away at his extensive video game backlog, hunting down the best new restaurants, or out exploring the city with a camera in hand.

Connect with Benjamin on Instagram and read more of his essays on Substack.