Well that is an entirely different story. I thought that the cable was plugged into a phone and his chromebook (Just like parent).
I was concerned that this might be a flaw in the chrome book, not the cable. The USB bus should be fine to use such a cable, charging is another thing.
When you add the external power source, that completely changes the game.
Best i understand, the guy involved works for Google on USB support in their software and hardware.
What got fried was a Chromebook Pixel. A Chromebook designed and sold by Google directly.
He has been using it and various test instruments to check up on A-to-C adapter cables, as they need to have a specific resistor in them to indicate their nature.