A "non-technical person" is someone who is not skilled in technology, usually IT, not someone who knows nothing about technology. The fact that there exists nobody who knows nothing about technology is a good clue that the term doesn't mean that, or else it'd be a useless term, as you pointed out
> people are just “technical” in ways that IT folk don’t recognise.
yes, perhaps they can work an abacus, or throw a javelin, or arrange Skittles by color. Those are all technical, but they aren't what IT folks mean when they say technical vs non-technical, and are mostly useless technical skills in that context (e.g. if FAANG was looking for "technical person", they likely do not need help arranging Skittles)
OK so you're making my point for me. "Non-technical" is just an IT trope that we should stop using if we're not talking about employees. And indeed, nobody specified that we were talking about employees, much less FAANG employees.
The bit about the abacus just underscores what I mean. It's derisive. Consider not using the word "non-technical" until you've grasped this.
seems like you've missed the point, if you think I'm making your point for you – your point seems to be pedantic and grounded in your personal opinions. Your feelings about derisiveness just underscore what I mean: the complaint is pure opinion and self-righteous indignation, devoid of substance.
the term "non-technical" is used because it is useful (notwithstanding your personal interpretation of it to mean "knows literally nothing about any technology"), so what term do you suggest we IT professionals use which conveys the same information in an equal or shorter length? Consider providing people an alternative they think is better if you personally don't like the language they're using, vs. just feeling upset and complaining.
> people are just “technical” in ways that IT folk don’t recognise.
yes, perhaps they can work an abacus, or throw a javelin, or arrange Skittles by color. Those are all technical, but they aren't what IT folks mean when they say technical vs non-technical, and are mostly useless technical skills in that context (e.g. if FAANG was looking for "technical person", they likely do not need help arranging Skittles)