Equipment Superior to Operator (ESO)

What Does Equipment Superior to Operator (ESO) Mean?

Equipment superior to operator (ESO) is a satirical or derogatory term used by technicians and servicemen to mean "user error." Essentially, it means that the equipment is too advanced for the user to use it properly. An alternative term is equipment smarter than operator.

Techopedia Explains Equipment Superior to Operator (ESO)

Technicians and repairmen are often confronted by clueless customers who claim that the products they have bought are not working properly or not as advertised when, in fact, there is nothing wrong with the products and, therefore, the problem is with the user. In such cases, there is often no choice but to take the customer’s word for it.

As this can be somewhat annoying, technicians coined a derogatory term for it: equipment superior to operator. It means that the device or equipment is too advanced for the user to operate it correctly.

In simple terms, it means "user error."