USB C didn’t exist, but it was being developed, and apple was on the USB-IF forum which developed it. So literally part of apple was developing USB-C while another part decided “nah, we will make our own” and of course it takes less time to make your own than to make something everyone agrees on.
Where I live a one bedroom apartment starts at half a million dollars. A house is well past one and a half million USD. Guess I’m failing at step one: have an extra house.