What is so crazy about this is, if you can't risk just using any cable that fits in a socket, becuase you could damage your hardware, end users would be better off with a completely unique shape for every cable.
Where does it say you would damage your hardware? Alt modes are negotiated with a standardized protocol as is power transfer. The defaults should be electrically compatible with all devices, though not necessarily functional.
"If you’re not careful, you can neuter or even damage your devices by using the wrong cable. Seriously: Using the wrong cable can damage your machine! This should not be possible, but there it is."
This is a giant leap backwards.