Some problems look pretty simple from the outside.
But whether something is "trivial" or a "nightmare" depends entirely on what you know.
Experience and technical knowledge act like a filter. With them, you see where pitfalls are, what steps to take, and which solutions will not work. And without them, you can waste hours chasing dead ends or assume the task itself is impossible.
This is the gap between "looks easy" and "actually easy."

An example case: Playing a video file on a smart TV via a USB stick

Suppose someone wants to play a large video file stored on their Mac through a smart TV using a USB stick.
On the surface: copy and paste.
In practice: a series of hidden requirements that only experience reveals.

Knowledge Bottlenecks

• TV requirements: Most TVs accept only FAT32 or NTFS formatted drives. If the user does not know anything about file systems, they would be lost immediately.
• macOS FAT32 support: macOS can read and write FAT32, but FAT32 has a hard limit of 4 GB per file. A 6 GB video will not copy.
• macOS NTFS limitation: macOS can read NTFS drives but cannot write to them. Without this knowledge, the user may think the USB stick is broken.
• Third-party NTFS drivers: Writing to NTFS requires external software. Most rely on kernel extensions that need explicit approval in System Settings.
• Security approval: Approving a kernel extension cannot be done casually. The user must reboot into recovery mode, launch Startup Security Utility, and reduce the security policy before the driver works.
• Different recovery mode paths: On Intel Macs, recovery mode is entered by holding Command + R at startup. On Apple silicon Macs, you must press and hold the power button until "Loading startup options" appears. Not knowing the difference makes instructions useless.
• macOS beta restrictions: On beta releases, the security policy toggle may not function at all. No workaround exists without rolling back the system. If user is on a beta version, they are again hitting the wall.

Each step is a gate. Without the knowledge to pass through, the user is blocked, even though the original request sounded like "just copying a file."

Why It Matters

This gap exists everywhere. Engineering problems, design decisions, scientific experiments, even routine office tasks. Outsiders see the surface and underestimate complexity. Insiders know the hidden constraints and dependencies.

Knowledge does not simply make tasks easier. It is the difference between being stuck at an invisible wall and walking straight through it while dealing with problems.

So, simplicity is not always the absence of complexity, but the mastery of it.