This Reddit thread is one of a few anecdotal stories I have read about certain brands of USB-C dongles rendering an M1 Macbook Air to be completely unusable. Anyone know any more? Does this apply to other M1 computers? What to do to avoid the problem?
I do not think that this is something that happens exclusively to M1 Macbook Airs.
USB-C is a beast. It can be so many things. These days, you can power a laptop through such a cable. In combination with Thunderbolt, you can daisy-chain several displays to a Mac and much more.
I get the chills when I see all those cheap USB-C cables and dongles and docking stations. It only needs one bad USB-C device or cable or what not and you can severely damage any device connected to it.
Is there an issue with the Macbook Air that makes it more prone to those issues? Maybe. Maybe not.
High speeds and watts and what not via USB might come with a higher potential for damage.
Do only use high quality dongles and cables from trusted manufacturers and sellers and hope for the best. 
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