Early-early Ethernet used connectors adapted from the RF communications industry, which are not designed for many frequent insert/removal cycles. Ethernet then moved to that form factor to the more rugged and proven phone RJ-45 connector type.
RJ-45 was and is a carryover from the telephone industry, where it was used in hundreds of millions of wall outlets and phones. Any failures in it are from individual cases of poor quality manufacturing, not from fundamental design flaws.
From that, we moved to the USB technology which can handle higher data rates. The original USB form factor physical pin design was relatively rugged (but the data rates were not too high yet.) The horrible multitude of ensuing physical variants designs was poorly implemented.
USB-C is an evolution away from the hodgepodge but possibly not as durable.
The history on this is:
Early-early Ethernet used connectors adapted from the RF communications industry, which are not designed for many frequent insert/removal cycles. Ethernet then moved to that form factor to the more rugged and proven phone RJ-45 connector type.
RJ-45 was and is a carryover from the telephone industry, where it was used in hundreds of millions of wall outlets and phones. Any failures in it are from individual cases of poor quality manufacturing, not from fundamental design flaws.
From that, we moved to the USB technology which can handle higher data rates. The original USB form factor physical pin design was relatively rugged (but the data rates were not too high yet.) The horrible multitude of ensuing physical variants designs was poorly implemented.
USB-C is an evolution away from the hodgepodge but possibly not as durable.