The lightning port is a double edged sword. On the one hand, the wires are "smart" and can adapt to any protocol, so the same port can theoretically function as a USB or ethernet at the wire level (again, theoretically). But to make that happen, every plug has a chip that negotiates the protocol when plugged in.

It's likely that negotiation failed in some cases.

That's absolutely crazy for most of us who think "this is a wire, why the hell would it fail?" but this kind of crazy complexity in a 5mm plug is possible nowadays.