Does an old school washer dryer that runs off timer relays / knobs / push buttons really have a CPU?
Nope, it’s just a timer-drive. cam triggering switches. The physical cam IS the CPU.
We have reached a point in time where there are adults who think everything that runs through multiple steps must have a microcontroller, because only really really old machines* do without.
*For the most part. I bought a brand new whirlpool dryer late last year, and it has a mechanical timer in it.