I don’t think I ever managed to break it by plugging it in backwards, but they indeed brake constantly. Mine would always bend since they were so bloody thin. The only micro usb cable that didn’t break is the one going to my PC tablet, which I barely move, every other one got bumped around enough, either in my backpack or just charging in bed/on the couch, to eventually break the contacts within a year or 2, 3 max.
I once got an adapter as a kid to plug in a controller, was super exited until I dropped it and stepped on it by accident with my naked squishy child feet, probably the fastest I ever broke one of these. Like what the actual fuck? Micros sucks so much!