The Real Reason USB Plugs Only Work One Way
The creator of the USB admits the plug's lack of reversibility is annoying, but explains that making it work both ways would have doubled the cost of the technology.
Almost every computer user experiences the frustration of the USB paradox, which involves failing to plug in a USB drive on the first two attempts before succeeding on the third. This shared struggle has even spawned countless memes online about the seemingly impossible odds of guessing wrong twice in a row.
Ajay Bhatt, the Intel engineer who led the team that invented the Universal Serial Bus, acknowledges this user annoyance but defends his original design. He reveals that creating a reversible plug would have required double the wires and circuits inside the connector.
Because doubling the internal components would have doubled the manufacturing cost, Bhatt's team intentionally chose a rectangular shape that offers a 50-50 chance of plugging it in right. They ultimately decide this is a better option than the round connectors available at the time, which offered users even less room for error.