Kettle, meet pot.
CVTs used in cars work via an “infinitely” variable gear ratio which they achieve by constantly varying the input and output sheaves depending on the programming they receive from the factory for any given situation. When you feel a “step” in a CVT it is because it is going directly from one pre-selected ratio to the next. It’s “changing gears” because you are changing the gear ratio through which your car is transferring power to the wheels. Nothing magic about it really.